71-prominent-personalities-receive-padma-awards-2024

President Droupadi Murmu on Monday, presented Padma awards to 71 well-known personalities, including the late former chief of Suzuki Motor, Osamu Suzuki, late singer Pankaj Udhas, former Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi (posthumous), and Lakshmipathy Ramasubbaiyer, publisher of the Tamil daily Dinamalar.

In total, 139 distinguished people were selected for India's civilian awards — Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri — announced on January 25, the eve of the 76th Republic Day.

Out of these, 71 awardees received their honours on Monday at the grand Durbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan, with Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah present. The remaining recipients will be honoured at another ceremony soon.

#WATCH | Famous Raagi and Shabad singer Bhai Harjinder Singh Ji receives Padma Shri award from President Droupadi Murmu for his contribution to the field of Art.

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— ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2025

Among those awarded were veteran actor Shekhar Kapur, cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin, hockey player PR Sreejesh, D Nageshwar Reddy (chairman of Asian Institute of Gastroenterology and AIG Hospitals), violinist Lakshminarayana Subramaniam, and Telugu superstar Nandamuri Balakrishna, also known as Balayya.

Four people received the Padma Vibhushan award: Osamu Suzuki (posthumously), Lakshminarayana Subramaniam, D Nageshwar Reddy, and Malayalam writer and filmmaker MT Vasudevan Nair (posthumously).

Ten personalities were honored with the Padma Bhushan award. These included Pankaj Udhas (posthumously), Sushil Kumar Modi (posthumously), Nandamuri Balakrishna, Shekhar Kapur, P R Sreejesh, Tamil actor S Ajith Kumar, Pankaj Patel (chairman of Zydus Lifesciences), and Vinod Dham, an Indian-American engineer known as the "Father of the Pentium."

#WATCH | American author & researcher known for his writing on Vedic culture and spirituality, Stephen Knapp receives Padma Shri award from President Droupadi Murmu for his contribution to the field of Literature and Education.

(Video Source: President of India/YouTube) pic.twitter.com/ulrCO68AMh

— ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2025

 

Fifty-seven people received the Padma Shri award.

Some of them were former State Bank of India chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya, industrialist Pawan Kumar Goenka, wildlife researcher and Marathi author Maruti Bhujangrao Chitampalli (who wrote special dictionaries about birds, animals, and trees), and master puppeteer Bhimavva Doddabalappa Shillekyathara, one of the first women to practice Togalu Gombeyaata (leather puppetry).

Former AIIMS and SGPGI director A K Mahapatra and Punjabi singer Jaspinder Narula Kaul were also among the Padma Shri recipients.

This year, 30 "unsung heroes" were recognised with the Padma awards. One of them was 100-year-old Libia Lobo Sardesai, who played a major role in Goa’s freedom struggle. In 1955, she helped start an underground radio station called "Voz da Liberdade" (Voice of Freedom) in a forest to fight against Portuguese rule.

#WATCH | Cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin receives Padma Shri award from President Droupadi Murmu for his contribution to the field of Sports.

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— ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2025

The Padma awards recognize contributions in different fields, including art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, and civil service.

• Padma Vibhushan is given for exceptional and distinguished service.
• Padma Bhushan is given for distinguished service of a high order.
• Padma Shri is awarded for distinguished service in any field.

#WATCH | Singer Jaspinder Narula receives Padma Shri award from President Droupadi Murmu for her contribution to the field of Art.

(Video Source: President of India/YouTube) pic.twitter.com/gG0UUSleBm

— ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2025

Lakshmipathy Ramasubbaiyer, the publisher of the popular Tamil newspaper Dinamalar, was honoured with the Padma Shri award by President Murmu for his contributions to literature, education, and journalism.

Lakshmipathy, who is in his 90s, is currently the joint managing editor of Dinamalar, a widely-read newspaper.

The award was given at a ceremony in the Ganatantra Mandap (formerly the Durbar Hall) of Rashtrapati Bhavan, attended by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Lakshmipathy has spent over 50 years in the Indian media industry, working as a publisher, marketer, journalist, educationist, and policy advisor to the government.

 

He has held several important roles:

• Chairman of the Press Trust of India (1998–99, 2006–07, and 2012–13),
• President of the Indian Newspaper Society (1992–93),
• Member of the Press Council of India (2001–04, 2011–14),
• President of the Indian Language Newspapers Association (2001–03).

He studied at Travancore University in Kerala and later completed advanced studies in newspaper management at the University of Cardiff, UK.

His education helped him successfully lead several publications, including:

 

• The Antiseptic (a journal on medicine and surgery),
• Health (a monthly health magazine),
• Sagar Sandesh (focused on shipping and the maritime industry).

Lakshmipathy has received honorary doctorates (DLitt) from Alagappa University (2003) and Bharathiar University (2009) for his achievements.

Throughout his career, he traveled widely across India, built strong relationships with leaders in many industries, and helped Dinamalar become financially strong without depending on government advertising.

He also founded the Subbalakshmi Lakshmipathy Foundation and established several educational institutions near Madurai:

Subbalakshmi Lakshmipathy College of Science

RL Institute of Management Studies

RL Institute of Nautical Sciences

Krishnamal Ramasubbaiyer School.

 

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