The Padma Shri award, posthumously conferred on Areez Khambatta, founder chairman of the Rasna Group, was received by his wife Persis from the President of India Droupadi Murmu in an investiture ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan on April 5, 2023. The family felt "very honored to receive this award on his behalf… We pledge ourselves to follow in our father’s footsteps… be it nation building, entrepreneurship or community service,” conveyed his granddaughter Arzeen in an email sent to Parsiana. She added that her grandmother felt "at home at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, with the culture, atmosphere and the food.”
Family members also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion. The awardee’s son Piruz reiterated that they would "follow his father’s ideals of duty to the country first, followed by society and religion.”
Sherene Vakil
Top: Persis Khambatta (l) with President Droupadi Murmu; above: Areez Khambatta
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