Craft artist Shah Rasheed Ahmed Quadri expressed gratitude to PM Narendra Modi for receiving the Padma Shri award, despite expecting it during the previous government’s rule.

One of the highlights of the Padma Awards held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi was the heartwarming exchange between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and craft artist Shah Rasheed Ahmed Quadri from Karnataka. Quadri, a Bidri craft artist who received the Padma Shri award, was seen shaking hands with the Prime Minister in a video and expressing his gratitude, saying he believed he would not get a Padma honour under the BJP government’s rule, but PM Modi proved him wrong. The Prime Minister reciprocated with a namaste and a smile. The Padma awards are conferred in three categories — Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Late Mulayam Singh Yadav and author-philanthropist Sudha Murty were among those awarded the Padma Vibhushan.