Kathakali acharya Sadanam Balakrishnan gets Padma Shree

NEW DELHI: Kathakali doyen Sadanam Puthiya Veettil Balakrishnan, Satyanarayana Beleri, who is famous for his traditional rice cultivation, and EP Narayanan (67), a Theyyam artist from Kannur, have been awarded the Padma Shree, the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India.

The list of 34 Padma Shri winners, including three from Kerala, was first announced last night in the category of Talents in Special Fields. India's first female elephant mahout Parbati Barua from Assam is also on the list.