Bhopal, April 23 : As many as four luminaries from Madhya Pradesh -- Omprakash Sharma, Bhagwatilal Rajpurohit, Kaluram Bamaniya, and Satendra Singh Lohiya -- were bestowed the prestigious Padma Shri Award on Monday.

Sharma was bestowed with the prestigious award for promoting Mach folk theatre, Rajpurohit for his contribution in literature, Bamaniya received award for promoting Kabir bhajans, and Lohiya, a 70 per cent disabled, for swimming.

Sharma (86), a resident of Madhya Pradesh's religious city Ujjain, was bestowed with the prestigious award for promoting a 200-year-old traditional dance drama of Malwa region.

Hailing from a humble background, Sharma learned Mach from his father at Ustaad Kaluram Mach Akhada. He has penned scripts for Mach folk theatre productions and adapted Sanskrit plays in Mach style. As an educator, he trained students at NSD, New Delhi, and Bharat Bhavan in Bhopal.

In a telephonic conversation with IANS earlier on January 25, Sharma had said that he had begun performing Mach at the age of 10 and has dedicated the prestigious award to every artist associated with Mach theatre.

Born at a village in Dhar district, Bhagwatilal Rajpurohit (80) is known for well-researched writings. At present, he lives in Ujjain and has been continuously writing on literature and culture in Sanskrit, Hindi and Malwi.

He worked as a director, Vikramaditya Shodh Peeth, Ujjain, for 10 years, and a professor of Hindi, Sanskrit and Ancient History for 38 years at Sandipani Ashram in Ujjain.

He has published more than 100 books and over 50 dramas. He has also written a Sanskrit drama, Samarth Vikramaditya. His play, Kalidas Charitam, has been staged in Sanskrit, Hindi and Malwi.

He was earlier awarded with Sangeet Natak Akademi Amrit Award for his contribution to scholarship in Indian theatre.

Kaluram Bamaniya (54), a resident of Pardeshipura village in Tonkkhurd tehsil of Dewas district, was bestowed the Padma Award for his contribution to Kabir bhajans along with bhajans of Mirabai and Gorakhnath in Malwi dialect for several years.

He has performed at concerts including Kabir Festival organised by Embassy of India, Kathmandu, Nepal, in 2009. He has also received Tulsi Samman and Bheraji Samman in 2022. Bamaniya said he learnt singing from his grandfather and father

36-year-old Indian swimmer with 70 per cent disability, Padma Shri recipient Satendra Singh Lohiya is a resident of Gata village in Bhind district in Chambal region of Madhya Pradesh. He is India's finest open water swimmers.

Despite underdeveloped thigh bones that don't allow him to straighten his limbs, Lohiya went on to become one of India's finest open water swimmers, crossing the English channel in 2018.

He had completed the English channel in 12 hours and 26 minutes, setting a new record.

Lohiya received Vikram Award, the highest state-level sports awards in Madhya Pradesh for swimming in 2014.

/IANS