Padma awardee Motilal Madan calls his award appreciation of sciences

Veterinarian Motilal Madan, 83, who was conferred the fourth-highest civilian award Padma Shri on Monday for his three-decade work in livestock reproduction, has called the conferment an appreciation of the scientific community’s hard work.

“…you do not work for awards. Awards come to you. My team and I worked with dedication to achieve our goals. We kept working and awards kept coming… Which government gave it to me does not matter, because, in the end, it is the appreciation of science.”

Madan carried out the first in vitro fertilization (IVF) of a buffalo calf in the world at Karnal’s National Dairy Institute (NDRI) in 1990. “This award was not conferred to me after 32 years. But instead, I see it as a culmination of all the previous awards I have received,” he said.

He was awarded Haryana Vigyan Ratna award in 2020. “I am meant to do my job, and others are meant to do their job in selecting individuals for the Padma awards.”