Srimad baba balia
The Padma Shri award, the third-highest honour in the Padma Shree of honours, was given by the Indian government to Srimad Baba Balia in the year 2022 for his social work. President Kovind presents Srimad Baba Balia with the award. His humanitarian endeavours include focusing on women’s empowerment, environment protection, and blood donation. He is the founder of Sishu Ananta Ashram and Ananta Lia Trust in Odisha.
The Srimad Baba Balia, who is he?
Indian speaker and spiritual guru Baba Balia was born in April 1954 in Odisha. He is a social reformer working to eliminate superstitions, mobilising support for those in society’s weaker groups, opposing child marriage and advocating for widow remarriage, offering aid to those affected by natural disasters like floods and cyclones, and engaging in a number of other similar activities.
Baba Balia works in a number of activities, including
- Organising dowry-free unions for girls from disadvantaged social groups
- Protecting widows’ rights to live honourably
- Organising each year the poor boys’ “Bratoponayan sanskar” (Sacred Thread Ceremony)
- Promoting health checks for both the bride and the groom prior to the ceremony rather than horoscope matching
- Educating the people to seek medical treatment for a snake bite instead of turning to wizards for assistance
- Organising rescue and relief efforts in the inaccessible coastal areas of Odisha during natural disasters like floods, cyclones, and fires
- Promoting the preservation of biodiversity and the protection of forests
- Working to revive and popularise the traditional cultural forms of folk dance and song such as “Lokanatya,” “Pala,” and “Sankirtan”
