When billionaire-philanthropist Dr Cyrus Poonawalla was named in the list of Padma Bhushan 2022 awardees, announced in conjunction with Republic Day January 26, his son and chief executive officer (CEO) of Serum Institute of India Adar stated on his Facebook page: "I thank the government of India for acknowledging my mentor, my hero, my father, Dr Cyrus Poonawalla.” The post was accompanied by a picture of a young Cyrus and his late wife Villoo holding up baby Adar.
The company that Cyrus founded, Serum Institute of India (SII), is on the forefront in India’s war against the coronavirus with their vaccine Covishield. The founders of Bharat Biotech that supplies Covaxin, Krishna and his wife Suchitra Ella also received the Padma Bhushan.
Dr Cyrus Poonawalla (top and above) with Adar and Villoo
"It is a great privilege to be amongst a prestigious list of illustrious people who have contributed to the growth of our country… Health is one of the strongest pillars of society, and I will continue to work towards making it equitable for all,” Cyrus said on receiving the news of the Padma award, as reported by the Press Trust of India of January 25.
Poonawalla founded Serum in 1966 and launched its first therapeutic anti-tetanus serum within two years. By 1974, Serum Institute introduced other vaccines to protect children from diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough, followed by an antivenin serum for snakebites in 1981.
Awarded a Ph.D. by the Poona University in 1988 for his thesis "Improved technology in the manufacture of specific anti-toxins and its socio-economic impact on the society,” Poonawalla championed SII’s journey of innovations. In 1989, SII commenced production of measles vaccine M-Vac and within a year, it became India’s largest vaccine manufacturer — a title that holds even today.
Padma Awards are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. They are given for excellence in various disciplines and activities. The Padma Bhushan is awarded for distinguished service of high order. Presented by the President of the country around March/April, this year’s 128 awardees include four Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan and 107 Padma Shri winners. Thirty-four of the awardees are women and the list includes 10 foreigners, non-resident Indians and persons of Indian origin as well as 13 posthumous awardees.
Other Padma Bhushan awardees for the year include, among others, chairman of Tata Sons N. Chandrasekaran, politician Ghulam Nabi Azad, actor Victor Banerjee, culinary queen Madhur Jaffrey, chairman and CEO of Microsoft Satya Nadella and CEO of Alphabet Inc. and its subsidiary Google, Sundar Pichai. Farrokh Jijina