New Delhi burst into celebration on the eve of Republic Day as the Government of India unveiled the prestigious Padma Awards list. In a grand announcement, five luminaries received the Padma Vibhushan, thirteen stalwarts the Padma Bhushan, and a whopping 113 distinguished individuals the Padma Shri. This year’s honors span arts, medicine, sports, public affairs, and more, recognizing contributions that have shaped the nation’s cultural and social fabric.
The Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award, went to icons like veteran actor Dharmendra Singh Deol (posthumously) from Maharashtra for his cinematic legacy in arts. KT Thomas from Kerala earned it for public affairs, while N Rajam from Uttar Pradesh and P Narayanan from Kerala were celebrated for arts and literature-education respectively. VS Achyutanandan (posthumously) from Kerala rounded out the list for public affairs.
Moving to Padma Bhushan recipients, the list features playback singer Alka Yagnik (Maharashtra, arts), former Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari (Uttarakhand, public affairs), and medicine pioneer Kallipatti Ramasami Palaniswami (Tamil Nadu). Malayalam superstar Mammootty (Kerala, arts), Nori Dattatreudu (USA, medicine), and ad maestro Piyush Pandey (posthumously, Maharashtra, arts) also shine. Others include SKM Mailanandan (Tamil Nadu, social work), Shatavadhani R Ganesh (Karnataka, arts), Shibu Soren (posthumously, Jharkhand, public affairs), Uday Kotak (Maharashtra, trade-industry), VK Malhotra (posthumously, Delhi, public affairs), Vellapalli Natesan (Kerala, public affairs), and tennis legend Vijay Amritraj (USA, sports).
The extensive Padma Shri list is a testament to grassroots excellence. From AE Muthunayagam (Kerala, science-engineering) to Anil Kumar Rastogi (Uttar Pradesh, arts), the 113 awardees include social workers like Ank Gowda M (Karnataka), doctors like Armida Fernandes (Maharashtra), artists like Arvind Vaidya (Gujarat), and sports figures like Baldev Singh (Punjab). Notable mentions: Bhiklya Ladkya Dhinda (Maharashtra, arts), twins Gayatri and Ranjani Balasubramaniam (Tamil Nadu, arts), Harmanpreet Kaur Bhullar (Punjab, sports), and international figures like Professor Lars-Christian Koch (Germany, arts) and Liudmila Viktorovna Khokhlova (Russia, literature-education).
This diverse cohort hails from across India and abroad, including the USA, Germany, Russia, and Georgia, underscoring the global reach of Indian excellence. Posthumous awards honor enduring legacies, like those of Hary Madhav Mukherjee (West Bengal, arts) and Yuri Manipur’s Yumnam Jatra Singh (arts). The awards ceremony, typically held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, will see these heroes receive their medals from the President, inspiring millions.
As India marks 75 years of Republic, these Padma Awards reaffirm the nation’s commitment to honoring unsung heroes and celebrities alike, fostering a culture of recognition and aspiration.