President Droupadi Murmu confers 66 Padma awards
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.
As the name of Dharmendra’s wife Hema Malini, a BJP MP, was announced to receive his award for his exceptional and distinguished service in the field of art, their daughter Ahana Deol, sitting in the audience, broke down in tears.
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.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India’s strength lies in such remarkable individuals whose work “enriches our collective journey”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India’s strength lies in such remarkable individuals whose work “enriches our collective journey”
“Every Padma awardee has had an inspiring life journey,” he said on ‘X’.
Home Minister Amit Shah also congratulated the awardees and hosted a dinner for them where he personally met each of them.
In a message posted on ‘X’, Shah said Prime Minister Modi has “reoriented Padma Awards as an institution to drive socio-economic progress by honouring the real change makers strengthening our society at grassroots”.
“The awards ceremony advances this vision and inspires more people to contribute to India’s journey towards greatness,” he said.
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 received the awards.
For 2026, the President has approved conferment of 131 Padma awards — five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri. At the ceremony on Monday, she conferred two Padma Vibhushan, six Padma Bhushan and 58 Padma Shri awards.