New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu on Monday conferred the prestigious Padma awards to 71 distinguished individuals for their exemplary contributions across various fields including music, cinema, literature, sports, medicine, and industry. The ceremony was held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday.
The ceremony, attended by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Union home minister Amit Shah, saw the presentation of four Padma Vibhushan, 10 Padma Bhushan, and 57 Padma Shri awards. A second ceremony will be held to honour the remaining awardees.
L Subramaniam, D Nageshwar Reddy honoured
Among the awardees was renowned violinist Dr L Subramaniam. He was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan for his outstanding contribution to Indian classical music. Other recipients of the Padma Vibhushan included Dr D Nageshwar Reddy, Chairman of the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology, for his pioneering work in gastroenterology, and the late Malayalam author and filmmaker M T Vasudevan Nair, recognised posthumously for his literary and cinematic achievements. The award was also conferred posthumously on Osamu Suzuki, former chief of Suzuki Motor Corporation, for his transformative impact on the global automobile industry.
Among the Padma Bhushan awardees were actors Ajith Kumar and Shekhar Kapur, honoured for their contributions to cinema. Telugu superstar Nandamuri Balakrishna received the Padma Bhushan. Shobhana, celebrated Bharatanatyam dancer and actress, was also conferred the Padma Bhushan. Late politician and former Bihar deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi was recognised posthumously.
In the Padma Shri category, acclaimed singer Arijit Singh and Grammy-winning musician Ricky Kej were among the recipients. Cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin was also honoured with the Padma Shri for his exceptional achievements in sports. Former SBI chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya and industrialist Pawan Kumar Goenka were recognised for their contributions to banking and the automotive sector respectively.
Notable winners
- Vinod Dham, Indian-American engineer known as the “Father of the Pentium Chip”
- Pankaj Patel, Chairperson of Zydus Lifesciences
- Former hockey player P R Sreejesh
- Shabad singer Bhai Harjinder Singh
- Scholar Dr Arkalgud Anantaramaiah Surya Prakash
- Oncologist Dr Vijayalakshmi Deshmane
- Surgeon Dr Jose Chacko Periappuram
- Para athletics coach Dr Satyapal Singh
- 96-year-old puppeteer Bhimavva Doddabalappa Shillekyathara
- American author and Vedic culture proponent Stephen Knapp
- Vedic scholar Ganeshwar Shastri Dravid
- Former UP Assembly Speaker Hriday Narayan Dikshit
- Yoga educator Sheikha Shaikha Ali Al-Jaber Al-Sabah of Kuwait
- Late singer Pankaj Udhas, whose wife received the honour on his behalf
- Prof Bharat Gupt, musicologist and cultural analyst
