Padma Shri awardee Dr Yazdi Italia’s pioneering work has
brought succor to sufferers of sickle cell disease
Farrokh Jijina
Among the 64 people who received the 2024 Padma awards from President Droupadi Murmu on April 22, 2024 at Rashtrapati Bhavan, microbiologist Dr Yazdi Italia stood out clad in a white dagli and pheta. "I like to show my Parsipanu,” the Padma Shri awardee told us. It was a mixed group of awardees: former vice president of India M. Venkaiah Naidu (Padma Vibhushan), actor and former member of Parliament Mithun Chakraborty, politician Ram Naik and popular entertainer Usha Uthup (Padma Bhushans) among others. "(The event) was extremely well organized… There was a drill in the morning of the event… (The......