&w=3840&q=100)
Padma Awards 2025: President Murmu Honours 69 Icons, Including Sharda Sinha, Arijit Singh, R Ashwin
In a grand ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday conferred Padma Awards to 69 individuals who have made exceptional contributions in diverse fields such as art, literature, education, public affairs, medicine, social work, science, sports, and industry. The event, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and other dignitaries, marked the second phase of the Padma Awards ceremony for the year 2025.
Attended the Civil Investiture Ceremony-II, where the Padma Awards were presented. The Padma awardees have made notable contributions to our society. The life journeys of those who were conferred the Padma are deeply motivating. pic.twitter.com/A4Z8wAv2pb — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 27, 2025
The Padma Awards, among the highest civilian honours of India, are conferred in three categories: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri. This year, the government had announced a total of 139 Padma awardees on the eve of Republic Day.
Among those honoured in this phase were 3 Padma Vibhushan, 9 Padma Bhushan, and 57 Padma Shri awardees. The ceremony held special significance with 13 posthumous recognitions, honouring legends who left a lasting legacy in their fields.
One of the most emotional moments of the event was the posthumous conferral of the Padma Vibhushan to late Bhojpuri and folk singer Dr Sharda Sinha, whose music resonated deeply with the Indian heartland. Her son, Anshuman Sinha, received the award on behalf of the legendary folk singer, renowned for her devotional and Chhath songs.
Other recipients of the Padma Vibhushan included former Chief Justice of India Jagdish Singh Khehar and classical dancer Kumudini Lakhia (posthumous).
The Padma Bhushan awardees included social activist Sadhvi Ritambhara, known for her role in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, actor-politician Nandamuri Balakrishna, and celebrated journalist and author A. Surya Prakash. Among the posthumous Padma Bhushan recipients were legendary singer Pankaj Udhas, veteran politician Manohar Joshi, economist Bibek Debroy. enowned Malayalam writer M.T. Vasudevan Nair, and Osamu Suzuki, the Japanese industrialist known for his pivotal role in Suzuki's partnership with India.
The largest share of honours came under the Padma Shri category, with 57 individuals recognised for their grassroots and innovative contributions across the country. Prominent names include playback singer Arijit Singh, cricketer R. Ashwin, author Pratibha Satpathy, former SBI Chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya, and violinist Tejendra Narayan Majumdar. The list also included foreign nationals, NRIs, PIOs, and OCIs—ten in total—reflecting India's acknowledgement of global contributions.
Notably, 23 of the awardees are women, showcasing the growing recognition of female excellence in various sectors. The Padma Awards continue to honour unsung heroes—many of them from remote regions—who have made significant contributions without seeking the limelight.
This year's ceremony reaffirms the spirit of "nation first, people first", with awardees reflecting India's cultural, scientific, and humanitarian diversity. The government's efforts to democratise the Padma Awards have made them a true people's honour, celebrating not just fame, but meaningful service.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Pakistan army uses Kashmir to line their pockets, looting nation: Adnan Sami
Singer Adnan Sami blasted Pakistan in his latest interview. The popular playback singer, who got his Indian citizenship a few years back, blamed the Pakistan army for exploiting their own people and the Kashmir issue in front of the world to fill their appeared on the India TV show 'Aap Ki Adalat' and exposed the Pakistani establishment left, right, centre. He said he is an artiste, but he understands how the Pakistan army doesn't let its people and government who say that I came to India carrying top secrets, they should know I am a musician, a singer and a composer. Those generals did romance on my tunes and danced to my songs. The entire army establishment, including ISI, wants to keep the Kashmir issue alive in the guise of Islam," he said. The 53-year-old called Pakistan's military the 'looters' of the nation. He added that it's a strange country where any politician who is loved by the people is 'packed off'."But reality is different. They hype up the Kashmir issue to get donations and funds from other countries to line their pockets. They live a life of luxury after looting the nation, while the people have no money or food. The entire nation is run by generals," he went on to mention popular Pakistani leaders Benazir Bhutto and Imran Khan - killed, and put in jail, respectively. "In other countries, an army lives within a country, but Pakistan is a waahid mulk (unique country), where the country was born inside an army. The army there even sells cornflakes. Any politician who becomes popular is packed off," he said."Then, they finished off Benazir Bhutto. In today's times, Imran Khan is the most popular leader in Pakistan; he is a sports hero, but he has been thrown in jail," he doesn't have democracy, he said, adding that they want to go to war. "Of course. There is no democracy. Whenever they wish, they dislodge the government, and whenever politicians (from India) try to reach an agreement, the army says it won't suit them, chalo, Kargil kar lo," he expressed how grateful he is as an Indian citizen, and to the Indian government for honouring him with a Padma Shri and recognising his talent. The singer recalled the day his mother died, and the Pakistani government denied issuing him a visa. "I had to watch her funeral on WhatsApp video", he concluded.A Candian citizen earlier, Sami was granted Indian citizenship in 2016. His father, Arshad Sami Khan, was in the Pakistani Air Force, and was later appointed as Watch
Hans India
2 hours ago
- Hans India
CM lauds Manda Krishna Madiga for efforts in ensuring social justice
Hyderabad: Padma Shri awardee and founding president of Madiga Reservation Porata Samiti, Manda Krishna Madiga, paid a courtesy call to Telangana CM Revanth Reddy at his residence in Jubilee Hills on Sunday. On this occasion, CM Revanth Reddy congratulated Manda Krishna Madiga, who recently received the prestigious Padma Shri award from the President of India, Droupadi Murmu. Later, he felicitated him with a shawl and presented him with a memento. The CM praised his work in social justice as well as over the classification of SCs. Both the leaders discussed the key milestones of the SC classification movement as well as the movement undertaken by MRPS, the challenges faced, and past experiences.
India.com
8 hours ago
- India.com
Operation Spider's Web': How Ukraine's Daring Drone Assault On Russia Could Shape Peace Talks
New Delhi: As smoke still rises from scorched Russian airbases, two delegations make their way to Istanbul - not with olive branches, but with blueprints and battle scars. Ukraine's drone strikes, a long-range assault code-named 'Spider's Web', have sent shockwaves through Russia's strategic air command just hours before peace negotiators sit down for an important second round of talks. The timing is no coincidence. Targeting Russian aviation strongholds as far as 4,000 kilometers from Ukraine's borders, Sunday's drone blitz was hailed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a "brilliant result" and a historic milestone. Ukraine claims it knocked out over 40 aircraft, including bombers and early-warning planes - the aircraft believed to be central to attacks on Ukrainian cities. But this was no spur-of-the-moment counterstrike. It was the climax of 18 months of covert planning, drone smuggling and precise execution by Ukraine's Security Service. Zelenskyy called it Ukraine's longest-range operation so far and one that 'will be in history books". And now, with the smoke still settling and the world watching, both Kyiv and Moscow are set to meet again in the halls of diplomacy, not the theater of war. What Ukraine Is Bringing to the Table for Peace Talks As the Istanbul negotiations resume today, the mood is anything but hopeful. Ukraine arrives with a detailed peace roadmap, a document obtained by Reuters that lays out a multi-stage path to a ceasefire and, potentially, to an endgame in Europe's most devastating war since the World War-II. Ukraine is going to offer a 30-day ceasefire to halt hostilities and allow humanitarian actions such as prisoner exchanges, the return of Ukrainian children and a proposal for a direct Zelenskyy-Putin summit - a meeting that has long been theorised but never realised. The proposal also aims to expand the scope of diplomacy by involving the United States and European powers and framing the resolution not just as a Ukraine-Russia matter, but a continental turning point with global stakes. But Kyiv is not backing down from its red lines. It reiterates demands for no restrictions on Ukraine's post-war defense capabilities, no recognition of Russian territorial control and full reparations for war damages It can further propose current front-line positions serve as a starting point for territorial talks - a suggestion that could further complicate already fragile diplomacy. Russia's Silence, Medinsky's Hint Russia has so far formally responded to the Ukrainian proposal. Asked about the drone strikes and whether they would impact Monday's discussions, Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky replied, 'Wait for tomorrow.' It signals anything from quiet preparation to explosive retaliation. The Kremlin's recent rhetoric has hinted at openness to a second round of Istanbul talks, even as it grapples with the embarrassment and potential military fallout of Ukraine's drone offensive. For Moscow, Sunday may go down as a 'black day for aviation", as one pro-Russian military blog put it. For Kyiv, it is something closer to a warning shot - a message that Ukraine's hand at the table is not weak and that its reach, both militarily and diplomatically, is growing. Diplomacy in Drones' Shadow It is hard to miss the symbolism. Just as diplomats prepare to exchange paper in Istanbul, unmanned drones, smuggled and hidden in trucks, have delivered a different kind of message across Russian skies. The Istanbul summit is not only about peace terms, it is about leverage. And with Operation Spider's Web, Kyiv is making the case that battlefield innovation can balance political inequality and that even a besieged nation can dictate terms when it plays its cards right. Whether the second round of talks ends in progress or deadlock, the world will be watching. Not just for what is said behind closed doors but for what happens next in the skies above.
