President Droupadi Murmu confers the Padma Vibhushan to veteran actor Dharmendra posthumously, received by BJP MP Hema Malini on his behalf, during a Civil Investiture Ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, on May 25, 2026.
| Photo Credit: PTI
President Droupadi Murmu on Monday (May 25, 2026) presented Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri awards for the year 2026 at the Civil Investiture Ceremony-I held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
Among the dignitaries present on the occasion were Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. For this year, the President has approved 131 Padma awards, including five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan, and 113 Padma Shri. They are announced every year on Republic Day.
Full list of Padma Awards 2026
On Monday (May 25, 2026), the President presented two Padma Vibhushan, six Padma Bhushan, and 58 Padma Shri awards. She conferred the Padma Vibhushan on legendary Bollywood actor Dharmendra posthumously, received by his wife and MP Hema Malini; and violin virtuoso N. Rajam, for exceptional contribution to their respective fields.
Ms. Rajam pioneered a revolutionary approach to classical music by introducing “Gayaki Ang” — a technique that enables violin emulate human vocals — earning her global renown as the “Singing Violin”.
The Padma Bhushan was presented to former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshyari; Shatavadhani R. Ganesh, who revived the classical art form of “Avadhana”; Uday Suresh Kumar Kotak, founder of Kotak Mahindra Bank; and eminent gastroenterologist Kallipatti Ramasamy Palaniswamy. The award was conferred posthumously on former MP Vijay Kumar Malhotra and “ad guru” Piyush Pandey.
The remaining Padma awardees will be felicitated in the second round of the ceremony to be held later.
Among the Padma Shri recipients were Prosenjit Chatterjee, one of the most influential figures of Indian cinema; Harmanpreet Kaur Bhullar, an inspirational figure in Indian women’s cricket; para athlete Praveen Kumar; former Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Director-General K. Vijay Kumar; folk musician Mir Haji Kasam; Tamil devotional music artist N. Swaminathan; and traditional folk music artist Taga Ram Bheel.
While Silambam master K. Pajanivel was awarded for promoting the ancient art originating from Tamil Nadu, hockey coach Baldev Singh was felicitated for distinguished service to Indian hockey for over four decades. “Kantha” embroidery artist Tripti Mukherjee, social worker Janardan Bapurao Bothe, and husband-wife duo Dr. Ramchandra Godbole and Suneeta Godbole, who provided healthcare and social support to tribal communities, also received the Padma Shri.
Environmentalists Devaki Amma G. and Hally War; bibliophile Ankegowda M.; Sanskrit scholar Vempaty Kutumba Shastry; and botanist Gambir Singh Yonzone were also among the Padma Shri recipients.
Published – May 25, 2026 05:46 pm IST
