Padma Awards 2025: Musical Icons Arijit Singh, Sharda Sinha Shine Among This Year's Honorees

The Government of India, on January 25th, 2025, announced the prestigious Padma Awards, recognizing distinguished contributions in various fields on the eve of Republic Day. The Padma Awards, one of the highest civilian honors of the country, are conferred in three categories: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri.

The awards celebrate exceptional service in disciplines such as art, literature, education, medicine, social work, science, engineering, public affairs, sports, civil service, and more. The categories represent increasing levels of distinction:

• Padma Vibhushan: For exceptional and distinguished service.
• Padma Bhushan: For distinguished service of high order.
• Padma Shri: For distinguished service in any field.

These awards are presented annually by the President of India at ceremonial functions held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, typically around March or April.

Highlights of the Padma Awards 2025

This year, 139 Padma Awards have been approved, including one duo award. The recipients include 23 women, 10 individuals from the Foreigner/NRI/PIO/OCI category, and 13 posthumous awardees. The list comprises of 7 Padma Vibhushan, 19 Padma Bhushan, 113 Padma Shri

Major Awardees For Padma Awards 2025

Padma Awards this year includes some of the most beloved household names in India listed as follows:

• Arijit Singh, a renowned playback singer who is receiving the Padma Shri for his outstanding contributions to Indian music.
• Sharda Sinha (posthumous), beloved folk singer from Bihar, honored with the Padma Vibhushan for her unmatched contributions to Indian art.
• Justice (Retd.) Jagdish Singh Khehar, recognized for his work in public affairs with the Padma Vibhushan.
• Dr. Duvvur Nageshwar Reddy, from Telangana, acknowledged for his exemplary work in medicine with the Padma Vibhushan.

The awards also feature remarkable achievers in lesser-known fields which will help everyone realize India's diversity and talent across the globe.

List of other Awardees

Here is the list of some of the recipients categorized by their awards and contributions:

Padma Vibhushan (7 Awardees)

1. Dr. Duvvur Nageshwar Reddy - Medicine (Telangana)
2. Justice (Retd.) Jagdish Singh Khehar - Public Affairs (Chandigarh)
3. Kumudini Rajnikant Lakhia - Art (Gujarat)
4. Lakshminarayana Subramaniam - Art (Karnataka)
5. M.T. Vasudevan Nair (Posthumous) - Literature and Education (Kerala)
6. Osamu Suzuki (Posthumous) - Trade and Industry (Japan)
7. Sharda Sinha (Posthumous) - Art (Bihar)

Padma Bhushan (19 Awardees)

Some prominent names include:

• Anant Nag - Art (Karnataka)
• P.R. Sreejesh - Sports (Kerala)
• Shekhar Kapur - Art (Maharashtra)
• Vinod Dham - Science and Engineering (USA)

Padma Shri (113 Awardees)

The list features exceptional talent such as:

• Arijit Singh - Art (West Bengal)
• Mamta Shankar - Art (West Bengal)
• R. Ashwin - Sports (Tamil Nadu)
• Jaspinder Narula - Art (Maharashtra)
• Onkar Singh Pahwa - Trade and Industry (Punjab)
• Thiyam Suryamukhi Devi - Art (Manipur)