A set of inspiring stories of Achievements, Excellence, Dedication, Innovation, Bravery, Sacrifice, and Talent
Padma Awards – one of the highest civilian awards in the country, is conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri.
It is an honour that the country gives to individuals for their exceptional skills and contributions by highlighting the diverse talents contributing to India’s development in every field. Over the years, these awards reflect and demonstrate excellence achieved by individuals across different sectors and make them achievers. Ensuring that they receive recognition for their hard work. Such recognition is a source of encouragement for many others.
The awards are given in various disciplines/ fields of activity, viz.- art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc. ‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; ‘Padma Bhushan’ is for distinguished service of high order, and ‘Padma Shri’ is for distinguished service in any field. The awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year.
For the year 2025, the President has approved the conferment of 139 Padma Awards, including a duo case (in a duo case, the Award is counted as one). The list for 2025 comprises seven Padma Vibhushan, 19 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri Awards.
Among the awardees, 23 are women, and the list also includes 10 persons from the category of Foreigners/NRI/ PIO/OCI and three Posthumous awardees.
Among the Padma Vibhushan awardees include Osamu Suzuki (Posthumous) – Trade and Industry, Japan, Duvvur Nageshwar Reddy – Medicine, Telangana, Justice (Retd.) Shri Jagdish Singh Khehar – Public Affairs, Chandigarh, Kumudini Rajnikant Lakhia – Art, Gujarat, Lakshminarayana Subramaniam – Art, Karnataka, M. T. Vasudevan Nair (Posthumous) – Literature and Education, Kerala and Sharda Sinha (Posthumous) – Art, Bihar.
PR Sreejesh will receive Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian Award, while Ravi Ashwin, IM Vijayan, Harvinder Singh, and Satyapal Singh will confer the Padma Shri.
We look at a few shining stars among the many achievers of Padma awards in 2025. The list of individuals was picked by our team of editors, who did indeed have a difficult job of leaving out many from being highlighted. But we will provide a link of the list on our website with full details of the name and the Award conferred for their exemplary service in specific fields.
Padma Vibhushan
OSAMU SUZUKI, who took a risk and bet on India when no one else believed in having a viable automobile company in India, has been awarded the ‘Padma Vibhushan’ for the year 2025 “for exceptional and distinguished service” in the field of trade and industry.
He died last year at the age of 94.
A month after the passing of M.T. VASUDEVAN NAIR, one of the greatest writers in Malayalam literature and education, the nation posthumously honoured him with the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian Award.
SHARDA SINHA, also known as ‘Bihar Kokila’, was posthumously bestowed with the Padma Vibhushan award. This recognition honours her immense contribution to the preservation and promotion of Bihar’s rich cultural heritage through her soulful renditions of folk songs and Chhath ‘geets’
KUMUDINI LAKHIA, the eminent Kathak exponent from Ahmedabad, was conferred the Padma Vibhushan for her contribution to the field of performing arts, Her remarkable contributions to the field of Art, especially in Indian classical dance and choreography, have left an indelible mark, particularly in the realm of Bharatanatyam.
Padma Bhushan
Sushil Kumar Modi (Posthumous), Public Affairs, Bihar
A dedicated and meticulous political worker. His role as Bihar’s finance minister and in the formulation of GST is a great contribution to the country. Member, GST Council Group of Ministers To examine measures to make the composition Scheme more effective and revisit GST tax structure on Restaurants for MSME and movement of Gold and precious stones). To monitor and resolve IT challenges faced in the implementation of GST On Reverse Charge Mechanism, On incentivizing Digital Payments in the GST regime, On Revenue Mobilization On Analysis of Revenue from GST, and to examine the issue of IGST settlements.
P R Sreejesh, Sports, Kerala
PR Sreejesh, the top Hockey goalkeeper in the world, currently serving as the coach of the Indian men’s junior hockey team, becomes only the second hockey player to be conferred the Padma Bhushan after the legendary Major Dhyan Chand, who was honoured with the Award in 1956.
Pankaj Udhas (Posthumous), Art, Maharashtra
Pankaj Udhas, with his soulful voice and profound lyrics, left an indelible mark on the Indian music industry. He was awarded the coveted Padma Shri in 2006 for his immense contribution to music.
Vinod Dham, Science and Engineering, USA
Vinod Dham, also called the “Father of the Pentium Chip,” is well known for his contributions to microprocessor technology. Delhi College of Engineering graduate, he is currently the founding managing partner of Indo-US Venture Partners. A champion of Indo- US entrepreneurial collaborations in cutting-edge technologies and promoting innovations in this field.
Padma Shri
Inivalappil Mani Vijayan, Sports, Kerala
The Padma Shri award is another feather in the cap of his decorated career. Vijayan was adjudged three times as the AIFF Player of the Year (1992, 1997, 2000) and was conferred the prestigious Arjuna Award in 2003. Presently, Vijayan is an AIFF Executive Committee member and the Chairperson of the AIFF Technical Committee.
L Hangthing, Others (Agriculture), Nagaland
L-Hangthing is a fruit farmer of Noklak in Nagaland. The 58-yearold farmer’s passion for fruits has transformed the lives of over 200 farmers across 40 villages. He collected seeds from discarded fruits like litchi and kiwi from Nagaland and Assam and encouraged farmers in his village to sow them. Over 400 households are earning more than 40,000 per month from fruit cultivation.
Lama Lobzang (Posthumous), Others (Spiritualism), Ladakh
Venerable Lama Lobzang, a steadfast supporter of the Tibetan cause, passed away at the age of 93 in New Delhi on the morning of March 16, 2023. Born in Leh, Ladakh. He devoted his life to helping the impoverished and needy in Ladakh and other Himalayan regions through extensive social welfare initiatives, including the provision of medical care and other forms of support. He was the first liaison to facilitate the rehabilitation of Tibetan refugees upon their arrival in India.
Jonas Masetti, Others (Spiritualism), Brazil
Jonas Masetti is the founder of Vishwa Vidya Gurukulam in Brazil. The organization spreads Indian Vedic knowledge, including Vedanta, Sanskrit, and Bhagavad Gita, among Brazilians. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Jonas Masetti, who is based in Brazil and popularises Vedanta and Gita among the people. He is well known for his remarkable work in spreading Indian culture and helping make an impact globally.