Here Are the Padma Awardees of 2016, Recipients of One of India’s Highest Civilian Honours

Padma Awards, one of the highest civilian honours of the country, are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year. The awards are given in three categories – Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri – to eminent personalities from different fields like public service, art, sports, medicine, entertainment etc.

Padma Vibhushan – This is the second-highest civilian award of India, given for exceptional and distinguished service. The awardees are:

1. Ramoji Rao

Source: Twitter

Ramoji Rao is a businessman, film producer, educationist, journalist and media entrepreneur. He heads the Ramoji Group, which owns the Ramoji Film City – the world’s largest integrated film city. He is being honoured for his contribution to the fields of journalism, literature and education.

2. Rajinikanth

Source: Twitter

Rajinikanth is one of the most popular personalities from the Indian film industry. He primarily works in the Tamil film industry and has also acted in Bollywood, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Hollywood and Bengali films. He was honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 2000.

3. Shri Shri Ravi Shankar

Source: Wikimedia

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is the spiritual leader and founder of the Art of Living Foundation.

4. Jagmohan

Source: Twitter

Jagmohan received the Padma Shri in 1971 and the Padma Bhushan in 1977. He is the former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir; the former Lieutenant Governor Delhi, Daman and Diu, and Goa; and a retired civil servant.

5. Yamini Krishnamurthy

Source: Twitter

75-year-old Yamini Krishnamurthy is a renowned Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi dancer. She teaches dance at her institute, the Yamini School of Dance in New Delhi.

6. V K Aatre

Source: Twitter

Dr. Vasudev Kalkunte Aatre is a scientist and former head of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). He also served as the Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister and is a Padma Bhushan recipient.

7. Late Dhirubhai Ambani

Source: Twitter

Late Dhirubhai Ambani was the eminent Indian business tycoon who founded Reliance Industries. He will be honoured posthumously for his contributions to the field of trade and industry.

8. Girija Devi

Source: Facebook

86-year-old Girija Devi is an Indian classical singer of the Banaras gharana. She performs classical and light classical music. She made her public debut on All India Radio Allahabad, in 1959.

9. Avinash Dixit

Source: Twitter

Avinash Dixit, a 71-year-old Indian-American economist, is a professor at Princeton University, Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Economics at Lingnan University and Senior Research Fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford.

10. Viswanathan Shanta

Source: Twitter

Dr. V. Shanta is a well-known cancer specialist and the Chairperson of Adyar Cancer Institute, Chennai. Prior to this, she has received the Magsaysay Award, Padma Shri, and Padma Bhushan.

Padma Bhushan: The third highest civilian award is given for distinguished service of a high order.

1. Vinod Rai – Former CAG
2. Anupam Kher – Actor
3. Udit Narayan – Singer
4. Robert D Blackwill – Former US Ambassador to India
5. Saina Nehwal – Badminton Player
6. Sania Mirza – Tennis Player
7. Indu Jain – Chairperson of Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd
8. Ram V. Sutar – Sculptor
9. Heisnam Kanhailal – Manipuri theatre personality
10. Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad – Hindi and Telugu writer
11. N. S. Ramanuja Tatacharya – Sanskrit scholar
12. Barjinder Singh Hamdard – Punjabi journalist
13. Nageshwar Reddy – Gastroenterologist
14. Hafeez Contractor – Architect
15. Ravindra Chandra Bhargava – Chairman of Maruti Suzuki
16. Dr. AV Rama Rao – Scientist
17. Late Swami Dayanand Sarawasati (posthumous) – Spiritual leader
18. Pallonji Shapoorji – Industrialist

Padma Shri: The fourth highest civilian award is given for distinguished service.

Prathibha Prahlad: Art – Classical Dance
Bhikhudan Gadhvi: Art – Folk Music
Sribhas Chandra Supakar: Art – Textile Designing
Ajay Devgn: Art – Cinema
Priyanka Chopra: Art – Cinema
Tulsidas Borkar: Art – Classical Music
Dr. Soma Ghosh: Art – Classical Vocal
Nila Madhab Panda: Art – Film Direction and Production
S.S. Rajamouli: Art – Film Direction and Production
Madhur Bhandarkar: Art – Film Direction and Production
Prof. M. Venkatesh Kumar: Art – Folk Artist
Gulabi Sapera: Art – Folk Dance
Mamta Chandrakar: Art – Folk Music
Malini Awasthi: Art – Folk Music
Jai Prakash Lekhiwal: Art – Miniature Painting
K. Laxma Goud: Art – Painting
Bhalchandra Dattatray Mondhe: Art – Photography
Naresh Chander Lal: Art – Theatre & Cinema
Dhirendra Nath Bezbaruah: Literature & Education
Prahlad Chandra Tasa: Literature & Education
Dr. Ravindra Nagar: Literature & Education
Dahyabhai Shastri: Literature & Education
Dr. Santeshivara Bhyrappa: Literature & Education
Haldar Nag: Literature & Education
Kameshwaram Brahma: Literature & Education – Journalism
Prof. Pushpesh Pant: Literature & Education – Journalism
Jawaharlal Kaul: Literature & Education – Journalism
Ashok Malik: Literature & Education
Dr. Mannam Gopi Chand: Medicine – Cardio Thoracic Surgery
Prof. Ravi Kant: Medicine – Surgery
Prof. Ram Harsh Singh: Medicine – Ayurveda
Prof. Shiv Narain Kureel: Medicine – Paediatric Surgery
Dr. Sabya Sachi Sarkar: Medicine – Radiology
Dr. Alla Gopala Krishna Gokhale: Medicine – Cardiac Surgery
Prof. T.K. Lahiri: Medicine – Cardio Thoracic Surgery
Dr. Praveen Chandra: Medicine – Cardiology
Daljeet Singh Gambhir: Medicine – Cardiology
Dr. Chandrasekar Shesadri Thoguluva: Medicine – Gastroenterology
Dr. Anil Kumari Malhotra: Medicine – Homeopathy
Prof. M.V. Padma Srivastava: Medicine – Neurology
Dr. Sudhir V. Shah: Medicine – Neurology
Dr. M. M. Joshi: Medicine – Ophthalmology
Prof. John Ebnezar: Medicine – Orthopaedic Surgery
Dr. Nayudamma Yarlagadda: Medicine – Paediatric Surgery
Simon Oraon: Environment Conservation
Imitiaz Qureshi: Culinary
Piyush Pandey: Advertising & Communication
Subhash Palekar: Farming
Ravinder Kumar Sinha: Wildlife Conservation
Dr. H.R. Nagendra: Yoga
M. C. Mehta: Public Affairs
M. N. Krishna Mani: Public Affairs
Ujjwal Nikam: Public Affairs
Tokheho Sema: Public Affairs
Dr. Satish Kumar: Science & Engineering
Dr. Mylswamy Annadurai: Science & Engineering
Prof. Dipankar Chatterji: Science & Engineering
Dr. Ganapati Dadasaheb Yadav: Science & Engineering
Prof. Veena Tandon: Science & Engineering
Onkar Nath Srivastava: Science & Engineering
Sunita Krishnan: Social Work
Ajoy Kumar Dutta: Social Work
M. Pandit Dasa: Social Work
P. P. Gopinathan Nair: Social Work
Madeleine Herman de Blic: Social Work
Srinivasan Damal Kandalai: Social Work
Sudhakar Olwe: Social Work
Dr. T.V. Narayana: Social Work
Arunachalam Murugantham: Social Work
Deepika Kumari: Sports – Archery
Sushil Doshi: Sports – commentary
Mahesh Sharma: Trade & Industry
Saurabh Srivastava: Trade & Industry
Dilip Sanghvi: Trade & Industry
Dr. Keki Hormusji Gharda: Trade & Industry
Late Prakash Chand Surana (Posthumous):Art – Classical Music
Late Saeed Jaffrey (NRI/Posthumous): Art – Cinema
Michael Postel (Foreigner): Art – Archaeology
Salman Amin Sal Khan (NRI/Person Of Indian Origin): Literature & Education
Hui Lan Zhang (Foreigner): Yoga
Predrag K. Nikic (Foreigner): Yoga
Dr. Sundar Aditya Menon (NRI/PIO): Social Work
Ajaypal Singh Banga (NRI/PIO): Trade & Industry

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