New Delhi

Veteran Gujarati folk musician Mir Haji Kasam, popularly known as Haji Ramakdu, will receive the Padma Shri from Droupadi Murmu during a civil investiture ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan on May 25.

Kasam, a celebrated dholak player from Junagadh, has spent more than six decades preserving and promoting Gujarati folk music traditions in India and overseas, according to an official statement.

Despite having no formal education, Kasam began learning music at the age of 10 and gradually emerged as one of Gujarat’s most respected folk artistes.

He earned the nickname “Ramakdu”, which means “toy” in Gujarati, because of his unique ability to make the dholak imitate the sounds of different musical toys and instruments during performances.

Over the years, Kasam has worked with several generations of performers, Gujarati film personalities and radio platforms, helping traditional folk music gain wider popularity.

He has represented Indian folk traditions internationally through performances in countries including the United States, United Kingdom, South Africa, Canada, United Arab Emirates and Oman.

Apart from music, Kasam has also been associated with social welfare initiatives. As per his profile, he has organised more than 35,000 charity programmes for cow shelters and has supported marriage ceremonies for underprivileged families in Junagadh.

Even in his seventies, he continues to teach folk music free of cost to children and aspiring artistes.

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Kasam has earlier received several honours, including the Gujarat Gaurav Puraskar, Gujarat Rajya Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and Gujarat Lok Kala Rashtriya Puraskar.