Suzuki Motor's Ex CEO, Sushil Modi, Pankaj Udhas Get Padma Awards

Osamu Suzuki, who grew small-car specialist Suzuki Motor into an international brand with huge successes in India, JS Khehar, a former Chief Justice of India, MT Vasudevan Nair, a legendary figure in Malayalam literature, Sharda Sinha, a renowned singer, were among seven people awarded the Padma Vibhushan by the President on the eve of the Republic Day.

Padma Vibhushan, one of the highest civilian awards of the country, is awarded for "exceptional and distinguished service".

Bibek Debroy, who was Chairman Of PM's Economic Advisory Council, Manohar Joshi, former Maharashtra Chief Minister, ex Lok Sabha Speaker and Shiv Sena stalwart, Pankaj Udhas, ghazal and playback singer, Sushil Modi, former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister, PR Sreejesh, former India hockey player, were among 19 people awarded Padha Bhushan. The award recognises "distinguished service of high order".

Veteran filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, of Masoom, Mr India, Bandit Queen fame, was also awarded the Padma Bhushan.

Indian-American engineer Vinod Dham, widely known as the 'Father of the Pentium chip', and prominent malaria researcher Chetan Chitnis were also among Padma Bhushan awardees.

Telugu actor N Balakrishna, an MLA of the ruling Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh, was awarded the Padma Bhushan. Andhra Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu congratulated Mr Balakrishna, who is also his brother-in-law, and said it was a well-deserved honour.    

"Heartfelt congratulations to Telugu cinema legend and Hindupur MLA, Nandamuri Balakrishna, on being conferred the Padma Bhushan," said Mr Naidu posted on X, adding the actor has excelled in upholding the legacy of his father and former Chief Minister of united Andhra Pradesh, the legendary NT Rama Rao.

Arijit Singh, playback singer, Ricky Kej, a music composer, Harvinder Singh, who won a gold in Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, were among 113 people awarded Padma Shri.

Former SBI chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya, recently-retired cricketer R Ashwin, vice chancellor of Lucknow's KGMU Soniya Nityanand and industrialist Pawan Goenka were also among Padma Shri awardees.

Theatre stalwart Barry John - known to have played a crucial role in the formative years of stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Manoj Bajpayee - and singer Jaspinder Narula are also among the Padma Shri awardees.

The President has also awarded 30 Padma Shri to unsung heroes that includes 100-year old Libia Lobo Sardesai, who played an important role in Goa's freedom movement. She cofounded an underground radio station -- 'Voz da Liberdabe (Voice of Freedom)' -- in a forested area in 1955 to rally people against the Portuguese rule.

Wildlife researcher and Marathi author Maruti Bhujangrao Chitampalli (92), who gave unique dictionaries on birds, animals and trees; 68-year-old bhajan singer Batool Begum from Jaipur; percussionist Velu Aasaan (58) from Tamil Nadu, who is standardising and reviving traditional Parai Isai artform, are also among the Padma Shri awardees.

Togalu Gombeyaata (leather puppetry) master puppeteer Bhimavva Doddabalappa Shillekyathara, who was one of the first women to practise the art form, has also been awarded Padma Shri. The 96-year old 'Grandmother of Gombeyaata' mastered the art when we was just 14 and has performed in more than 12 countries.

Lavjibhai Nagjibhai (64), a Tangaliya weaver from Dangasia community in Surendranagar Parmar; Vijayalakshmi Deshamane, a veteran oncologist from Kalaburgi who provides free treatment to poor cancer patients; and Chaitram Devchand Pawar, who conserved 400 hectare of forest in Maharashtra, are also among the unsung heroes who have been given the Padma Shri.

Pandi Ram Mandavi, a traditional tribal musician and the creator of bamboo wind whistle called 'Sulur' or 'Bastar flute', is also among the Padma Shri awardees.

"Congratulations to all the Padma awardees! India is proud to honour and celebrate their extraordinary achievements. Their dedication and perseverance are truly motivating. Each awardee is synonymous with hardwork, passion and innovation, which has positively impacted countless lives. They teach us the value of striving for excellence and serving society selflessly," Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X soon after the awards were announced.

Congratulations to all the Padma awardees! India is proud to honour and celebrate their extraordinary achievements. Their dedication and perseverance are truly motivating. Each awardee is synonymous with hardwork, passion and innovation, which has positively impacted countless…

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 25, 2025

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, congratulating the awardees, said PM Modi has reimagined the Padma awards as a platform to honour the iconic personalities who have empowered and elevated communities to progress.

"Congratulations to the luminaries who have been selected for the Padma Awards by the Honorable President today. PM Shri @narendramodi Ji has reimagined the Padma Awards as a platform to honor the iconic personalities who have empowered and elevated communities to progress. I firmly believe that this honor will stir our society with a new zest for nation-building," he posted on X.

Here's the complete list of the winners: 

Padma Vibhushan
1 Shri Duvvur Nageshwar Reddy - Medicine  
2 Justice (Retd.) Shri Jagdish Singh Khehar - Public Affairs 
3 Smt. Kumudini Rajnikant Lakhia - Art 
4. Shri Lakshminarayana Subramaniam - Art 
5 Shri MT Vasudevan Nair (Posthumous) - Literature and Education 
6 Shri Osamu Suzuki (Posthumous) - Trade and Industry
7 Smt. Sharda Sinha (Posthumous) - Art

Padma Bhushan 

1. Shri A Surya Prakash - Literature and Education - Journalism 
2. Shri Anant Nag - Art 
3. Shri Bibek Debroy (Posthumous) - Literature and Education
4. Shri Jatin Goswami - Art
5. Shri Jose Chacko Periappuram - Medicine
6. Shri Kailash Nath Dikshit - Others - Archaeology 
7. Shri Manohar Joshi (Posthumous) -  Public Affairs 
8. Shri Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti - Trade and Industry
9. Shri Nandamuri Balakrishna - Art
10. Shri PR Sreejesh - Sports
11. Shri Pankaj Patel - Trade and Industry
12. Shri Pankaj Udhas (Posthumous) - Art 
13. Shri Rambahadur Rai - Literature and Education - Journalism 
14. Sadhvi Ritambhara - Social Work 
15. Shri S Ajith Kumar - Art 
16. Shri Shekhar Kapur -  Art
17. Ms. Shobana Chandrakumar - Art
18. Shri Sushil Kumar Modi (Posthumous) - Public Affairs
19.  Shri Vinod Dham - Science and Engineering

Padma Shri 

1. Shri Adwaita Charan Gadanayak - Art 
2. Shri Achyut Ramchandra Palav - Art
3. Shri Ajay V Bhatt - Science and Engineering 
4. Shri Anil Kumar Boro - Literature and Education 
5. Shri Arijit Singh - Art
6. Smt Arundhati Bhattacharya - Trade and Industry
7.  Shri Arunoday Saha - Literature and Education
8. Shri Arvind Sharma - Literature and Education
9. Shri Ashok Kumar Mahapatra - Medicine 
10. Shri Ashok Laxman Saraf - Art 
11. Shri Ashutosh Sharma - Science and Engineering 
12. Smt. Ashwini Bhide Deshpande - Art 
13. Shri Baijnath Maharaj - Others - Spiritualism
14. Shri Barry Godfray John - Art
15. Smt. Begam Batool - Art 
16. Shri Bharat Gupt - Art
17. Shri Bheru Singh Chouhan - Art
18. Shri Bhim Singh Bhavesh - Social Work
19. Smt. Bhimavva Doddabalappa Shillekyathara - Art
20. Shri Budhendra Kumar Jain - Medicine
21. Shri CS Vaidyanathan - Public Affairs
22. Shri Chaitram Deochand Pawar - Social Work 
23. Shri Chandrakant Sheth (Posthumous) - Literature and Education 
24. Shri Chandrakant Sompura - Others - Architecture
25. Shri Chetan E Chitnis - Science and Engineering
26. Shri David R Syiemlieh - Literature and Education
27. Shri Durga Charan Ranbir - Art
28. Shri Farooq Ahmad Mir - Art 
29. Shri Ganeshwar Shastri Dravid - Literature and Education 
30. Smt. Gita Upadhyay - Literature and Education
31. Shri Gokul Chandra Das - Art
32. Shri Guruvayur Dorai - Art
33. Shri Harchandan Singh Bhatty - Art
34. Shri Hariman Sharma Others - Agriculture 
35. Shri Harjinder Singh Srinagar Wale - Art
36. Shri Harvinder Singh - Sports 
37. Shri Hassan Raghu - Art
38. Shri Hemant Kumar - Medicine
39. Shri Hriday Narayan Dixit - Literature and Education
40. Shri Hugh and Colleen Gantzer (Posthumous) (Duo)* - Literature and Education
41. Shri Inivalappil Mani Vijayan - Sports
42. Shri Jagadish Joshila - Literature and Education
43. Smt. Jaspinder Narula Art Maharashtra
44. Shri Jonas Masetti - Others - Spiritualism
45. Shri Joynacharan Bathari - Art 
46. Smt. Jumde Yomgam Gamlin - Social Work 
47. Shri K. Damodaran Others - Culinary
48. Shri K L Krishna - Literature and Education
49. Smt. K Omanakutty Amma - Art
50. Shri Kishore Kunal (Posthumous) - Civil Service
51. Shri L Hangthing - Others - Agriculture 
52. Shri Lakshmipathy Ramasubbaiyer - Literature and Education - Journalism
53. Shri Lalit Kumar Mangotra - Literature and Education J
54. Shri Lama Lobzang (Posthumous) - Others - Spiritualism 
55. Smt. Libia Lobo Sardesai - Social Work
56. Shri MD Srinivas - Science and Engineering
57. Shri Madugula Nagaphani Sarma - Art
58. Shri Mahabir Nayak - Art 
59. Smt. Mamata Shankar - Art
60. Shri Manda Krishna Madiga - Public Affairs
61. Shri Maruti Bhujangrao Chitampalli - Literature and Education 
62. Shri Miriyala Apparao (Posthumous) - Art Andhra Pradesh
63. Shri Nagendra Nath Roy - Literature and Education 
64. Shri Narayan (Bhulai Bhai) (Posthumous) - Public Affairs 
65. Shri Naren Gurung - Art Sikkim
66. Smt. Neerja Bhatla - Medicine
67. Smt. Nirmala Devi - Art
68. Shri Nitin Nohria - Literature and Education 
69. Shri Onkar Singh Pahwa -  Trade and Industry
70. Shri P Datchanamoorthy - Art
71. Shri Pandi Ram Mandavi - Art
72. Shri Parmar Lavjibhai Nagjibhai -  Art
73. Shri Pawan Goenka - Trade and Industry
74. Shri Prashanth Prakash - Trade and Industry
75. Smt. Pratibha Satpathy - Literature and Education
76. Shri Purisai Kannappa Sambandan - Art
77. Shri R Ashwin - Sports
78. Shri R G Chandramogan - Trade and Industry 
79. Smt. Radha Bahin Bhatt - Social Work
80. Shri Radhakrishnan Devasenapathy - Art 
81. Shri Ramdarash Mishra - Literature and Education
82. Shri Ranendra Bhanu Majumdar - Art
83. Shri Ratan Kumar Parimoo - Art
84. Shri Reba Kanta Mahanta -  Art
85. Shri Renthlei Lalrawna Literature and Education Mizoram
86. Shri Ricky Gyan Kej - Art 
87. Shri Sajjan Bhajanka - Trade and Industry
88. Smt. Sally Holkar - Trade and Industry 
89. Shri Sant Ram Deswal - Literature and Education
90.  Shri Satyapal Singh - Sports
91. Shri Seeni Viswanathan - Literature and Education
92.  Shri Sethuraman Panchanathan - Science and Engineering 
93. Smt. Sheikha Shaikha Ali Al-Jaber Al-Sabah - Medicine
94.  Shri Sheen Kaaf Nizam (Shiv Kishan Bissa) - Literature and Education
95. Shri Shyam Bihari Agrawal - Art 
96. Smt. Soniya Nityanand - Medicine
97. Shri Stephen Knapp - Literature and Education
98. Shri Subhash Khetulal Sharma - Others - Agriculture Maharashtra
99. Shri Suresh Harilal Soni - Social Work
100. Shri Surinder Kumar Vasal - Science and Engineering Delhi
101. Shri Swami Pradiptananda (Kartik Maharaj) - Others - Spiritualism 
102. Shri Syed Ainul Hasan - Literature and Education 
103. Shri Tejendra Narayan Majumdar - Art
104. Smt. Thiyam Suryamukhi Devi - Art
105. Shri Tushar Durgeshbhai Shukla - Literature and Education
106. Shri Vadiraj Raghawendracharya Panchamukhi - Literature and Education
107. Shri Vasudeo Kamath - Art
108. Shri Velu Aasaan - Art 
109. Shri Venkappa Ambaji Sugatekar - Art 
110. Shri Vijay Nityanand Surishwar Ji Maharaj - Others - Spiritualism 
111. Smt. Vijayalakshmi Deshamane - Medicine
112. Shri Vilas Dangre - Medicine
113. Shri Vinayak Lohani - Social Work