At the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday, President Droupadi Murmu presented Padma Awards to renowned individuals, including former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, the late founder of Sulabh International Bindeshwar Pathak, and others. The Padma Vibhushan was conferred upon Naidu, Pathak (posthumously), and Bharatanatyam dancer Padma Subrahmanyam.
Among those who received the Padma Bhushan were actor Mithun Chakraborty, singer Usha Uthup, former Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik, and industrialist Sitaram Jindal. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar were among the dignitaries in attendance.
Gujarat-based cardiologist Tejas Madhusudan Patel, veteran Marathi film director Dattatray Ambadas Mayaloo alias Rajdutt, and Chandreshwar Prasad Thakur, a prominent physician known for his work on Kala Azar, were also honored with the Padma Bhushan.
The Padma Shri awardees included master carpet weaver Khalil Ahamad from Uttar Pradesh, folk singer Kaluram Bamaniya from Madhya Pradesh, Bangladeshi singer Rezwana Choudhury Bannya, and Chikankari embroidery artist Naseem Bano from Uttar Pradesh.
Folk singer Gita Roy Barman from West Bengal’s Cooch Behar, tennis player Rohan Bopanna, Tripura spiritual figure Chitta Ranjan Debbarma, banker Kalpana Morparia, philanthropist Kiran Nadar, social worker Gurvinder Singh from Haryana, and folk singer Urmila Srivastava from Uttar Pradesh were also recognized with the Padma Shri.
The Padma Awards ceremony was filled with heartwarming moments, including noted folk dancer from Assam Drona Bhuyan expressing his gratitude through Ojapali and Deodhani dance gestures as he received the Padma Shri from the President. Upon returning to his seat, he approached Prime Minister Modi and touched his feet, a gesture reciprocated by the Prime Minister. Bhuyan is a well-known Ojapali and Deodhani dancer from Assam’s Darrang district, where he has dedicated himself to preserving a thousand-year-old tradition by performing stories from epics and Puranas.
The Prime Minister also interacted with Tripura’s spiritual leader Chitta Ranjan Debbarma, who was dressed in saffron. Tribal farmer Sarbeswar Basumatary from Assam expressed his gratitude by kneeling before receiving the award from the President.
The Padma Awards, one of India’s highest civilian honors, are bestowed in three categories: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri. These awards are given in various fields, including art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, and more.
The Padma Vibhushan is reserved for those who have rendered exceptional and distinguished service, while the Padma Bhushan recognizes distinguished service of a high order. The Padma Shri is awarded for distinguished service in any field. The awards are announced annually on the eve of Republic Day.
In 2024, the President approved the conferment of 132 Padma awards, including two duo cases (where the award is counted as one). This year’s list includes five Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan, and 110 Padma Shri awards. About 30 awardees are women, while the list also comprises eight Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI recipients and nine posthumous awards.
While many awardees were honored on Monday, the remaining are expected to receive their awards next week.
