National Pride: President Droupadi Murmu Confers Padma Awards 2026 at Rashtrapati Bhavan
In a grand and solemn ceremony radiating national pride, President Droupadi Murmu conferred the prestigious Padma Awards upon the first batch of recipients at the majestic Ganatantra Mandap in Rashtrapati Bhavan.
For the year 2026, the Government of India approved a total of 131 Padma Awards, comprising 5 Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan, and 113 Padma Shri awards. The initial Civil Investiture Ceremony-I saw 66 extraordinary individuals honored for their exceptional and distinguished service across various fields, with the remaining awardees scheduled to receive their honors in the upcoming second phase.
🌟 The Pinnacle of Honor: Padma Vibhushan
The Padma Vibhushan, the highest of the three tiers, recognized icons who have left an indelible mark on India's cultural tapestry.
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Shri Dharmendra Singh Deol (Posthumous): The legendary "He-Man" of Indian cinema was posthumously accorded the Padma Vibhushan for his monumental, multi-decade contribution to Bollywood. In a deeply poignant moment that drew a warm response from the audience, the honor was received on his behalf by his wife, celebrated actress and Lok Sabha MP Hema Malini.
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Ms. N. Rajam: The peerless violin virtuoso was honored for her transformative impact on Hindustani classical music. Renowned for pioneering the Gayaki Ang—a technique that seamlessly replicates the nuances of the human vocal chords on the strings—her recognition celebrated a lifetime of artistic brilliance.
🔹 Architects of Impact: Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan segment highlighted six distinguished pioneers who have shaped India’s economic, political, and cultural landscapes:
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Uday Kotak (Trade & Industry): The visionary billionaire banker and founder of Kotak Mahindra Bank was celebrated for his immense role in structuring modern Indian banking and fostering robust financial ecosystems.
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Bhagat Singh Koshyari (Public Affairs): The veteran statesman, who served with distinction as the former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand and the former Governor of Maharashtra, was recognized for his lifelong commitment to public administration and governance.
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Piyush Pandey (Posthumous - Media & Art): The advertising maestro behind some of India’s most iconic and culturally defining brand campaigns ("Abki Baar Modi Sarkar", "Kuch Din To Gujaro Gujarat Mein", and Mile Sur Mera Tumhara) was honored posthumously for revolutionizing Indian mass communication.
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Shatavadhani R. Ganesh (Literature & Art): A phenomenal scholar and the foremost maestro of Avadhana—an ancient, highly complex literary performance requiring simultaneous multi-tracking of memory, poetry, and wit—was lauded for keeping this traditional art form alive.
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Dr. Kallipatti Ramasamy Palaniswamy (Medicine): The eminent gastroenterologist was decorated for his pioneering medical research and decades of dedicated, compassionate healthcare service.
🏏 Grassroots Champions & Cultural Icons: Padma Shri
The Padma Shri awards beautifully reflected the government's focus on honoring unsung heroes and sports trailblazers who have brought international glory to the nation:
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Harmanpreet Kaur Bhullar (Sports): The fierce captain of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team was honored for her stellar leadership, shattering glass ceilings, and inspiring a generation of young girls to take up sports.
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Prosenjit Chatterjee (Art): The undisputed superstar of Bengali cinema was recognized for his immense artistic range and sustained excellence over hundreds of films, anchoring the regional film industry for decades.
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Praveen Kumar (Sports): The celebrated high-jump para-athlete was applauded for his phenomenal, medal-winning performances on the global stage, symbolizing resilience and triumph over adversity.
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Taga Ram Bhil (Art): Representing the vibrant heritage of Rajasthan, this grassroots folk artist was celebrated for his tireless efforts in preserving the traditional, dual-flute woodwind instrument known as the Algoja.
A Star-Studded Gathering of Statesmen
The high-profile event was attended by the top echelons of Indian governance, including:
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Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi
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Union Home Minister Amit Shah
A Fitting Finale: Following the formal proceedings at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Union Home Minister Amit Shah hosted an exclusive dinner in New Delhi to interact with the awardees, celebrating their collective journeys and invaluable contributions to the nation’s growth.
Complete List
Padma Vibhushan
| SN | Name | Field | State / Country |
| 1 | Shri Dharmendra Singh Deol (Posthumous) | Art | Maharashtra |
| 2 | Shri K T Thomas | Public Affairs | Kerala |
| 3 | Ms. N Rajam | Art | Uttar Pradesh |
| 4 | Shri P Narayanan | Literature and Education | Kerala |
| 5 | Shri V S Achuthanandhan (Posthumous) | Public Affairs | Kerala |
Padma Bhushan
| SN | Name | Field | State / Country |
| 6 | Ms. Alka Yagnik | Art | Maharashtra |
| 7 | Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari | Public Affairs | Uttarakhand |
| 8 | Shri Kallipatti Ramasamy Palaniswamy | Medicine | Tamil Nadu |
| 9 | Shri Mammootty | Art | Kerala |
| 10 | Dr. Nori Dattatreyudu | Medicine | United States of America |
| 11 | Shri Piyush Pandey (Posthumous) | Art | Maharashtra |
| 12 | Shri S K M Maeilanandhan | Social Work | Tamil Nadu |
| 13 | Shri Shatavadhani R Ganesh | Art | Karnataka |
| 14 | Shri Shibu Soren (Posthumous) | Public Affairs | Jharkhand |
| 15 | Shri Uday Kotak | Trade and Industry | Maharashtra |
| 16 | Shri V K Malhotra (Posthumous) | Public Affairs | Delhi |
| 17 | Shri Vellappally Natesan | Public Affairs | Kerala |
| 18 | Shri Vijay Amritraj | Sports | United States of America |
Padma Shri
| SN | Name | Field | State / Country |
| 19 | Shri A E Muthunayagam | Science and Engineering | Kerala |
| 20 | Shri Anil Kumar Rastogi | Art | Uttar Pradesh |
| 21 | Shri Anke Gowda M. | Social Work | Karnataka |
| 22 | Ms. Armida Fernandez | Medicine | Maharashtra |
| 23 | Shri Arvind Vaidya | Art | Gujarat |
| 24 | Shri Ashok Khade | Trade and Industry | Maharashtra |
| 25 | Shri Ashok Kumar Singh | Science and Engineering | Uttar Pradesh |
| 26 | Shri Asok Kumar Haldar | Literature and Education | West Bengal |
| 27 | Shri Baldev Singh | Sports | Punjab |
| 28 | Shri Bhagwandas Raikwar | Sports | Madhya Pradesh |
| 29 | Shri Bharat Singh Bharti | Art | Bihar |
| 30 | Shri Bhiklya Ladakya Dhinda | Art | Maharashtra |
| 31 | Shri Bishwa Bandhu (Posthumous) | Art | Bihar |
| 32 | Shri Brij Lal Bhat | Social Work | Jammu and Kashmir |
| 33 | Shri Buddha Rashmi Mani | Others - Archaeology | Uttar Pradesh |
| 34 | Dr. Budhri Tati | Social Work | Chhattisgarh |
| 35 | Shri Chandramouli Gaddamanugu | Science and Engineering | Telangana |
| 36 | Shri Charan Hembram | Literature and Education | Odisha |
| 37 | Shri Chiranji Lal Yadav | Art | Uttar Pradesh |
| 38 | Ms. Deepika Reddy | Art | Telangana |
| 39 | Shri Dharmiklal Chunilal Pandya | Art | Gujarat |
| 40 | Shri Gadde Babu Rajendra Prasad | Art | Andhra Pradesh |
| 41 | Shri Gafruddin Mewati Jogi | Art | Rajasthan |
| 42 | Shri Gambir Singh Yonzone | Literature and Education | West Bengal |
| 43 | Shri Garimella Balakrishna Prasad (Posthumous) | Art | Andhra Pradesh |
| 44 | Ms. Gayatri Balasubramanian and Ms. Ranjani Balasubramanian (Duo)* | Art | Tamil Nadu |
| 45 | Shri Gopal Ji Trivedi | Science and Engineering | Bihar |
| 46 | Shri Guduru Venkat Rao | Medicine | Telangana |
| 47 | Shri H V Hande | Medicine | Tamil Nadu |
| 48 | Shri Hally War | Social Work | Meghalaya |
| 49 | Shri Hari Madhab Mukhopadhyay (Posthumous) | Art | West Bengal |
| 50 | Shri Haricharan Saikia | Art | Assam |
| 51 | Ms. Harmanpreet Kaur Bhullar | Sports | Punjab |
| 52 | Shri Inderjit Singh Sidhu | Social Work | Chandigarh |
| 53 | Shri Janardan Bapurao Bothe | Social Work | Maharashtra |
| 54 | Shri Jogesh Deuri | Others - Agriculture | Assam |
| 55 | Shri Juzer Vasi | Science and Engineering | Maharashtra |
| 56 | Shri Jyotish Debnath | Art | West Bengal |
| 57 | Shri K Pajanivel | Sports | Puducherry |
| 58 | Shri K Ramasamy | Science and Engineering | Tamil Nadu |
| 59 | Shri K Vijay Kumar | Civil Service | Tamil Nadu |
| 60 | Shri Kabindra Purkayastha (Posthumous) | Public Affairs | Assam |
| 61 | Shri Kailash Chandra Pant | Literature and Education | Madhya Pradesh |
| 62 | Ms. Kalamandalam Vimala Menon | Art | Kerala |
| 63 | Shri Kewal Krishan Thakral | Medicine | Uttar Pradesh |
| 64 | Shri Khem Raj Sundriyal | Art | Haryana |
| 65 | Ms. Kollakal Devaki Amma G | Social Work | Kerala |
| 66 | Shri Krishnamurty Balasubramanian | Science and Engineering | Telangana |
| 67 | Shri Kumar Bose | Art | West Bengal |
| 68 | Shri Kumarasamy Thangaraj | Science and Engineering | Telangana |
| 69 | Prof. (Dr.) Lars-Christian Koch | Art | Germany |
| 70 | Ms. Liudmila Viktorovna Khokhlova | Literature and Education | Russia |
| 71 | Shri Madhavan Ranganathan | Art | Maharashtra |
| 72 | Shri Maganti Murali Mohan | Art | Andhra Pradesh |
| 73 | Shri Mahendra Kumar Mishra | Literature and Education | Odisha |
| 74 | Shri Mahendra Nath Roy | Literature and Education | West Bengal |
| 75 | Shri Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar | Literature and Education | Delhi |
| 76 | Ms. Mangala Kapoor | Literature and Education | Uttar Pradesh |
| 77 | Shri Mir Hajibhai Kasambhai | Art | Gujarat |
| 78 | Shri Mohan Nagar | Social Work | Madhya Pradesh |
| 79 | Shri Narayan Vyas | Others - Archaeology | Madhya Pradesh |
| 80 | Shri Naresh Chandra Dev Varma | Literature and Education | Tripura |
| 81 | Shri Nilesh Vinodchandra Mandlewala | Social Work | Gujarat |
| 82 | Shri Nuruddin Ahmed | Art | Assam |
| 83 | Shri Othuvaar Thiruthani Swaminathan | Art | Tamil Nadu |
| 84 | Dr. Padma Gurmet | Medicine | Ladakh |
| 85 | Shri Palkonda Vijay Anand Reddy | Medicine | Telangana |
| 86 | Ms. Pokhila Lekthepi | Art | Assam |
| 87 | Dr. Prabhakar Basavprabhu Kore | Literature and Education | Karnataka |
| 88 | Shri Prateek Sharma | Medicine | United States of America |
| 89 | Shri Praveen Kumar | Sports | Uttar Pradesh |
| 90 | Shri Prem Lal Gautam | Science and Engineering | Himachal Pradesh |
| 91 | Shri Prosenjit Chatterjee | Art | West Bengal |
| 92 | Dr. Punniamurthy Natesan | Medicine | Tamil Nadu |
| 93 | Shri R Krishnan (Posthumous) | Art | Tamil Nadu |
| 94 | Shri R V S Mani | Civil Service | Delhi |
| 95 | Shri Rabilal Tudu | Literature and Education | West Bengal |
| 96 | Shri Raghupat Singh (Posthumous) | Others - Agriculture | Uttar Pradesh |
| 97 | Shri Raghuveer Tukaram Khedkar | Art | Maharashtra |
| 98 | Shri Rajastapathi Kaliappa Goundar | Art | Tamil Nadu |
| 99 | Shri Rajendra Prasad | Medicine | Uttar Pradesh |
| 100 | Shri Rama Reddy Mamidi (Posthumous) | Others - Animal Husbandry | Telangana |
| 101 | Shri Ramamurthy Sreedher | Others - Radio Broadcasting | Delhi |
| 102 | Shri Ramchandra Godbole and Ms. Suneeta Godbole (Duo)* | Medicine | Chhattisgarh |
| 103 | Shri Ratilal Borisagar | Literature and Education | Gujarat |
| 104 | Shri Rohit Sharma | Sports | Maharashtra |
| 105 | Ms. S G Susheelamma | Social Work | Karnataka |
| 106 | Shri Sangyusang S Pongener | Art | Nagaland |
| 107 | Sant Niranjan Dass | Others - Spiritualism | Punjab |
| 108 | Shri Sarat Kumar Patra | Art | Odisha |
| 109 | Shri Saroj Mandal | Medicine | West Bengal |
| 110 | Shri Satish Shah (Posthumous) | Art | Maharashtra |
| 111 | Shri Satyanarayan Nuwal | Trade and Industry | Maharashtra |
| 112 | Ms. Savita Punia | Sports | Haryana |
| 113 | Prof. Shafi Shauq | Literature and Education | Jammu and Kashmir |
| 114 | Shri Shashi Shekhar Vempati | Literature and Education | Karnataka |
| 115 | Shri Shrirang Devaba Lad | Others - Agriculture | Maharashtra |
| 116 | Ms. Shubha Venkatesha Iyengar | Science and Engineering | Karnataka |
| 117 | Shri Shyam Sundar | Medicine | Uttar Pradesh |
| 118 | Shri Simanchal Patro | Art | Odisha |
| 119 | Ms. Sivasankari | Literature and Education | Tamil Nadu |
| 120 | Dr. Suresh Hanagavadi | Medicine | Karnataka |
| 121 | Swami Brahmdev Ji Maharaj | Social Work | Rajasthan |
| 122 | Shri T T Jagannathan (Posthumous) | Trade and Industry | Karnataka |
| 123 | Shri Taga Ram Bheel | Art | Rajasthan |
| 124 | Shri Tarun Bhattacharya | Art | West Bengal |
| 125 | Shri Techi Gubin | Social Work | Arunachal Pradesh |
| 126 | Shri Thiruvaarur Bakthavathsalam | Art | Tamil Nadu |
| 127 | Ms. Tripti Mukherjee | Art | West Bengal |
| 128 | Shri Veezhinathan Kamakoti | Science and Engineering | Tamil Nadu |
| 129 | Shri Vempaty Kutumba Sastry | Literature and Education | Andhra Pradesh |
| 130 | Shri Vladimer Mestvirishvili (Posthumous) | Sports | Georgia |
| 131 | Shri Yumnam Jatra Singh (Posthumous) | Art | Manipur |