New Delhi, Jan 26: At the age of 105, Hindustani vocalist Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan was today chosen for this year's Padma Shri award, achieving the distinction of being the oldest person to get a Padma award.
In 2011, India's first woman photo-journalist Homai Vyarawala was honoured with the Padma Vibushan at the age of 97. She died last year.
The repertoire of Khan, the vocalist from West Bengal, includes khayal, dhrupad, dhamar and thumri.
Currently confined to a wheelchair, Khan who has lost the ability to walk and whose hands have become gnarled with age, still manages to regale audiences with his powerful singing.
Also a poet, Khan has written around 2000 compositions under the pseudonym 'Rasan Piya'.
