This year, a total of 131 Padma awards were approved, comprising five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan, and 113 Padma Shri honors. These awards, announced annually on Republic Day, recognize exceptional contributions across various fields.
During the ceremony, two Padma Vibhushan awards were presented. Legendary Bollywood actor Dharmendra received the honor posthumously, accepted by his wife and Member of Parliament Hema Malini. Violin virtuoso N. Rajam was also awarded for her groundbreaking contributions to classical music, notably for pioneering the “Gayaki Ang” technique that allows the violin to mimic human vocals, earning her international acclaim as the “Singing Violin.”
The Padma Bhushan was given to several distinguished individuals, including former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshyari; Shatavadhani R. Ganesh, who revived the classical art form of “Avadhana”; Uday Suresh Kumar Kotak, founder of Kotak Mahindra Bank; and eminent gastroenterologist Kallipatti Ramasamy Palaniswamy. Posthumous awards were also presented to former MP Vijay Kumar Malhotra and renowned advertising guru Piyush Pandey.
Among the Padma Shri recipients were influential cinema figure Prosenjit Chatterjee, inspiring cricketer Harmanpreet Kaur Bhullar, para athlete Praveen Kumar, and former CRPF Director-General K. Vijay Kumar. The awards also celebrated artists such as folk musician Mir Haji Kasam, Tamil devotional singer N. Swaminathan, and traditional folk artist Taga Ram Bheel.
Other notable recipients include Silambam master K. Pajanivel for promoting the ancient Tamil martial art, hockey coach Baldev Singh for decades of service, embroidery artist Tripti Mukherjee, social worker Janardan Bapurao Bothe, and the healthcare-providing couple Dr. Ramchandra and Suneeta Godbole, recognized for their work with tribal communities.
Environmentalists Devaki Amma G. and Hally War, bibliophile Ankegowda M., Sanskrit scholar Vempaty Kutumba Shastry, and botanist Gambir Singh Yonzone were also honored with Padma Shri awards.
The remaining awardees will be felicitated in the second round of the ceremony, continuing the celebration of outstanding achievements across the nation.
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