Who’s Made the Cut for Padma Awards 2024?

From veteran entertainers to top politicians and from ace businessmen to sports luminaries, the Padma Award is set to glow in the hands of these announced recipients. Among top screen idols approved for the honour is Telugu megastar Chiranjeevi, who has over 150 feature films to his credit - since his first big break in 1983’s Khaidi. And he’s not done yet, going by 2019’s blockbuster Sye Ra Narasimha Reddy. 

Then, there’s the revered Mithun Chakraborty, who has appeared in (hold your breath) more than 350 movies across several regional languages and who now occupies a seat in the Rajya Sabha. But perhaps even more worthy of the imminent award is the 90-year-old Chennai-ite actress and prolific Bharat Natyam dancer Vyjayanthimala Bali, who began her career in the 1940s.

Srimati V’s dance colleague Padma Subramaniam and Bombay Samachar newspaper owner Hormusji N. Cama, also figure in the finalised list. From politics, controversial former Vice President of India and seasoned BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu, has made it into the group of honourees. 

Meanwhile, accomplished Indian tennis player Rohan Bopanna, who is currently one match away from a maiden Grand Slam men’s doubles trophy, is anyway assured of his home nation's top award. Joining him for this distinguished prize is hockey stalwart Harbinder Singh along with six other sportspersons.

Other notable public figures to be bestowed the privilege are versatile singer Usha Uthup and composer Pyarelal Sharma (one half of the Laxmikanth-Pyarelal duo). Meanwhile, achiever in Literature Raghuveer Choudhry, has got the nod for his volumes of Gujarati writings, as has Kathak dance master Ramlal Berath and bhajan vocalist Kaluram Bamaniya. 

Fiinally, from the realm of business, Taiwan’s Foxconn CEO Young Liu will be recognised for facilitating an Apple Iphone factory in Tamil Nadu, which employs over 40,000 people. In fact, Liu is one of 8 persons up for the award this year from the Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI category. 

More than just the proverbial feather in the cap, this award is a jewel in the crown for those it’s conferred upon. The comprehensive list is drawn up based on recommendations by the country’s Padma Awards Committee, which is chaired by the Prime Minister.

The Ceremony

Marking the 70th anniversary of this ceremony, current Indian President, the Honourable Smt. Draupadi Murmu, will fulfil the traditional role of awards presenter. Also, as per the custom, the event will unfold at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in March or April. There are a total of 132 persons up for the award this year – a significant increase from 106 in 2023. These include achievers in the arts, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, civil service, sports and other fields.

Award Categories

Here’s a quick explanation of Padma’s three categories of distinction. Right on top stands the Padma Vibhushan for “exceptional and distinguished service”, of which there are to be 5 awardees this year. This is followed by the Padma Bhushan for “distinguished service of a high order”, which will be handed to 17 individuals in 2024. And lastly, there is the Padma Shri for “distinguished service”, with 110 names attached to it, this time around.