Padma Award Validates All Decisions I've Made

After receiving his Padma Shri award on Tuesday evening, Bengaluru-based musician and three-time Grammy winner Ricky Kej shared what the award means to him, glimpses behind the scenes of the ceremony, a heartwarming moment with the Vice-President, and his upcoming album with Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi

- MAHIMA NAGARAJU

Among the Padma awardees gathered at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday evening to receive one of the country's highest civilian honours, was Bengaluru's own musician Ricky Kej who attended the ceremony with his mother on his arm. In a brief chat on a flight en route the USA, the three-time Grammy award winner shared the surreal joy of receiving the Padma Shri, saying, "The award itself was announced on the eve of Republic Day this year and I was overjoyed, but it felt absolutely real only when I actually stepped into the Rashtrapati Bhavan." Explaining the preparation that happens behind the scenes of what the nation sees on screen, he added, "In the morning, a rehearsal was organised and it helped all of us award winners to be less nervous — we practiced the entire event flow, and pathway to walk to the president. We also got to know a little bit about the his