India honours 131 achievers with Padma Awards in 2026 ceremony

President Droupadi Murmu conferred Padma awards at Rashtrapati Bhavan, including Padma Vibhushan to Dharmendra (posthumously) and N Rajam, Padma Bhushan to several eminent personalities, and Padma Shri to sportspersons and artists, recognising contributions across arts, science, and public service

New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu on Monday conferred the Padma Vibhushan on Bollywood actor Dharmendra posthumously and classical musician and violinist N Rajam at a Civil Investiture Ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here.

Dharmendra’s award for exceptional and distinguished service in the field of art was received by his wife and MP Hema Malini.

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Rajam was honoured for her pioneering contribution to Indian classical music, especially for revolutionising violin performance through the ‘Gayaki Ang’ style that replicates vocal music on the instrument.

Murmu conferred the Padma Bhushan on Bhagat Singh Koshyari, former Uttarakhand chief minister; Shatavadhani R Ganesh, acclaimed polymath who revived the challenging classical Indian art form ‘Avadhana’; Uday Suresh Kumar Kotak, founder of Kotak Mahindra Bank; and gastroenterologist Kallipatti Ramasamy Palaniswamy. She also conferred the award posthumously on ad guru Piyush Pandey and former parliamentarian Vijay Kumar Malhotra. Pandey’s wife and Malhotra’s son, respectively, received the awards.

Indian women’s cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur Bhullar, actor Prosenjit Chatterjee, para athlete Praveen Kumar and former Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) director general K Vijay Kumar received the Padma Shri.

The ceremony, which was held in the Gantantra Mandap of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, began with an instrumental rendition of the national song, “Vande Mataram”, followed by the national anthem, “Jana Gana Mana”. It was attended by Vice President C P Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, among others.

For 2026, the President has approved conferment of 131 Padma Awards — five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri. The awards will be conferred at two separate Civil Investiture ceremonies.

The Padma Awards are announced on the occasion of the Republic Day every year. The coveted civilian honours are given in various fields, including art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports and civil service.