GUWAHATI: Veteran playback singer Alka Yagnik and Malayalam superstar Mammootty were among the 13 personalities conferred the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian award, at the Padma Awards 2026 ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday, May 25.
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Three of the 13 Padma Bhushan honours were conferred posthumously.
Alka Yagnik was recognised in the field of art for her contribution to Indian music, while Mammootty received the honour for his contribution to cinema.
The Government of India honoured a total of 131 distinguished personalities this year for their contribution in fields including art, sports, medicine, public affairs, literature, science, business and social work. The awards include five Padma Vibhushan honours, 13 Padma Bhushan awards and 113 Padma Shri awards.
Other Padma Bhushan awardees:
– Bhagat Singh Koshyari (Public Affairs) from Uttarakhand
– K. R. Palaniswamy (Medicine) from Tamil Nadu
– Nori Dattatreyudu (Medicine) from United States of America
– Piyush Pandey (Posthumous) (Art) from Maharashtra
– S. K. M. Maeilanandhan (Social Work) from Tamil Nadu
– Shatavadhani R. Ganesh (Art) from Karnataka
– Shibu Soren (Posthumous) (Public Affairs) from Jharkhand
– Uday Kotak (Trade & Industry) from Maharashtra
– V. K. Malhotra (Posthumous) from Public Affairs from Delhi
– Vellappally Natesan (Public Affairs) from Kerala
– Vijay Amritraj (Sports) from United States of America
The Padma Awards are among the country’s highest civilian honours and are presented annually to recognise exceptional and distinguished service across disciplines and professions.
Droupadi Murmu presented two Padma Vibhushan, six Padma Bhushan and 58 Padma Shri honours during the first Civil Investiture Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan with the remaining recipients all set to be honoured during the second phase.