1st Sikh CJI, Osamu Suzuki among 7 to receive Padma Vibhushan; 139 to be rewarded under Padma Awards.

The President of India announced the awarding of 139 Padma awards for 2025, comprising 7 Padma Vibhushan, 19 Padma Bhushan, and 113 Padma Shri. This highly distinguished list will confer recognition for services rendered across diverse fields; among those recognized are 23 women recipients, 10 foreign/NRI/PIO/OCI recipients, and 13 posthumous awardees. These will be distributed through ceremonial events to be held in Rashtrapati Bhawan during March or April.

Among the most distinguished Padma Vibhushan awardees include Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, who happens to be India’s first Sikh Chief Justice and has served to contribute towards public affairs. Osamu Suzuki, the man of vision who spearheaded Maruti Suzuki to succeed in India, has also been conferred with this Padma Vibhushan award for transforming the Indian automobile sector.

Other recipients of the Padma Vibhushan include Duvvur Nageshwar Reddy, a gastroenterologist from Karnataka; Kumudini Rajnikant Lakhia, a well-known Kathak dancer; Lakshminarayana Subramaniam, violinist and composer; MT Vasudevan Nair, a doyen of Malayalam literature and cinema; and Sharda Sinha, a late folk singer from Bihar.

The Padma Bhushan category included some significant names, among them Indian hockey legend and Olympic bronze medal winner PR Sreejesh, the late Bibek Debroy-ex chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the PM, Shekhar Kapur-internationally acclaimed filmmaker, Sadhvi Ritambhara-spiritual leader, Pankaj Udhas- late ghazal singer (posthumous), Manohar Joshi- former Maharashtra CM and Lok Sabha Speaker (posthumous) and Sushil Modi BJP leader (posthumous).

A large number of talent was found in the Padma Shri category, where names like Arijit Singh and Jaspinder Narula, renowned playback singers; Ricky Kej, a Grammy-winning music composer and environmentalist; Farooq Ahmad Mir, artist from J&K; Hariman Sharma, Himachal Pradesh inventor of a low-altitude apple variety; Harjinder Singh Srinagar Wale, Punjab-based Gurbani singer; Harvinder Singh, para archer from Haryana; and Neerja Bhatla, head of the gynecology department of AIIMS.

Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu led with 13 awards each, followed by Uttar Pradesh with nine, and Karnataka, Gujarat, and Delhi with eight each. Notable honorees from northern regions include Sant Ram Deswal from Haryana for literature and education, and Lama Lobzang for spiritualism.

This year’s Padma Awards continue the tradition of celebrating excellence and honoring individuals who have significantly contributed to India’s growth, culture, and legacy.