Padma Parade: From L Subramaniam to Ravichandran Ashwin & Osamu Suzuki, India honours trailblazers; check full list

The Padma awards, one of India's highest civilian honours, were conferred on several distinguished individuals in recognition of their remarkable contributions to the nation. In a special ceremony held on Monday at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, President Droupadi Murmu presented four Padma Vibhushan, 10 Padma Bhushan and 57 Padma Shri awards to 71 individuals from diverse fields, including music, literature, medicine, sports, and industry.

These honorees, awarded in the presence of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, have made significant impacts in their respective areas, elevating their work to national and international acclaim.

Violinist L Subramaniam was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan for his outstanding contributions to Indian classical music.

The Padma Vibhushan was also posthumously awarded to Osamu Suzuki, former chief of Suzuki Motor Corporation, for his transformative impact on the global automobile industry,. Meanwhile, Sushil Kumar Modi received a Padma Bhushan posthumously.


Dr. D Nageshwar Reddy, Chairman of the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology, received the Padma Vibhushan for his pioneering work in gastroenterology.

Malayalam author and filmmaker M T Vasudevan Nair was also honored posthumously with the Padma Vibhushan for his literary and cinematic achievements. Telugu superstar Nandamuri Balakrishna, also known as Balayya, was also conferred a Padma award.

The Padma Shri was conferred on Arundhati Bhattacharya, former chairperson of State Bank of India, for her leadership in banking, and Pawan Kumar Goenka, industrialist, for his contributions to the automotive sector.

Cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin was awarded the Padma Shri for his exceptional achievements in sports. Additionally, President Murmu presented the prestigious Padma Bhushan Award to actors Ajith Kumar and Shekhar Kapur. Ajith was honoured for his outstanding contributions to both cinema and sports.


Other awards at Monday's ceremony include

• Vinod Dham, an Indian-American engineer
• Pankaj Patel, chairperson of Zydus Lifesciences
• Former hockey player P R Sreejesh
• Raagi and 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
• Stephen Knapp, American author known for his writing on Vedic culture and spirituality
• Singer Jaspinder Narula
• IN-SPACe Chairman, Dr Pawan Kumar Goenka
• Vedic scholar Ganeshwar Shastri Dravid
• Former Speaker of UP Legislative Assembly, Hriday Narayan Dikshit
• Yoga educator, Sheikha Shaikha Ali Al-Jaber Al-Sabah of Kuwait
• Singer Pankaj Udhas (posthumous)
• Prof. Bharat Gupt, musicologist, cultural analyst, and newspaper columnist

The remaining awardees will be presented with the honour at a separate ceremony scheduled to take place soon.