Uttar Pradesh Secures Third Position in Prestigious Padma Awards 2026
In a remarkable display of talent and achievement, Uttar Pradesh has emerged as the third highest award-winning state in the prestigious Padma Awards 2026. The state proudly boasts 11 recipients in the national list of awardees, highlighting its significant contributions across various fields. This achievement places Uttar Pradesh behind only Maharashtra with 16 awards and Tamil Nadu with 15 awards among the total 131 Padma Awards announced this year.
Distinguished Award Categories and Recipients
The state's recognition includes one Padma Vibhushan and ten Padma Shri awards, though notably there are no Padma Bhushan recipients from Uttar Pradesh this year. The lone Padma Vibhushan has been conferred upon N Rajam, the legendary Hindustani classical violinist whose global acclaim has brought immense pride to Indian classical music traditions.
N Rajam, born in Chennai in 1938, represents a fascinating bridge between musical traditions. Initially trained in Carnatic music by her father A Narayana Iyer, she later mastered raga development under the guidance of Omkarnath Thakur. Her illustrious career includes serving as a former professor at Banaras Hindu University, where she held positions as head of department and dean. This Padma Vibhushan adds to her previous honors of Padma Shri in 1984, Padma Bhushan in 2004, and the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship.
Celebrating Diverse Excellence Across Fields
The ten Padma Shri awardees from Uttar Pradesh represent an extraordinary range of contributions that underscore the state's multifaceted excellence:
- Anil Kumar Rastogi - Recognized for theatre and academic research, this Lucknow-based artist has performed in over a thousand shows of 99 plays and participated in numerous global theatre festivals. His career uniquely spans both performing arts and science, having served as head of biochemistry at CSIR-CDRI while publishing more than a hundred research papers.
- Ashok Kumar Singh - Honored for agricultural science and genome-edited rice, this plant geneticist and former director of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute is best known for developing high-yielding Basmati rice varieties through innovative molecular breeding techniques.
- Buddha Rashmi Mani - Awarded for archaeology and heritage conservation, this renowned archaeologist has led significant excavations at Ayodhya and Sarnath, uncovered the earliest Gupta inscription, and directed excavations at 20 archaeological sites while reviving numerous museums.
- Chiranji Lal Yadav - Recognized for traditional brass engraving, this veteran artisan from Moradabad has preserved rare brass carving traditions for over five decades while training young artisans and supporting livelihoods through this traditional craft.
- Kewal Krishan Thakral - Honored for Ayurveda, this eminent surgeon has contributed six decades to 'Shalya Shalakaya,' pioneered the Karna Vedhan technique for asthma, authored several books, and served as former Dean of Kanpur University while leading extensive social service through medical camps.
- Mangala Kapoor - Awarded for music education and resilience as an acid-attack survivor, this classical musician associated with the Gwalior gharana overcame a 1965 acid attack that hospitalized her for six years, later completing her studies and becoming a professor who provides free music education.
- Praveen Kumar - Recognized for Paralympic sports, this para athlete from Gautam Budh Nagar competed with able-bodied athletes until 2018 before shifting to para sports, where he has won silver at Tokyo Paralympics and gold at Paris Paralympics in high jump T64, along with Arjuna Award and Khel Ratna honors.
- Raghupat Singh - Posthumously honored for sustainable farming, this Dalit farmer from Moradabad developed over 100 crop varieties, conserved more than 30 native species, trained nearly three lakh farmers, and revived extinct vegetables while promoting weather-based farming techniques.
- Rajendra Prasad - Awarded for medical sciences, this respiratory medicine specialist has five decades of service pioneering TB and MDR-TB care, establishing DOTS centers, treating over five lakh patients, and introducing video bronchoscopy and UP's first sleep lab at KGMU.
- Shyam Sundar - Honored for medical sciences, this professor from IMS-BHU has made groundbreaking contributions to Kala-azar treatment, developing single-dose liposomal amphotericin B therapy recognized by WHO and pioneering multi-drug therapy including miltefosine, the first effective oral drug for the disease.
Significance and Impact of Uttar Pradesh's Recognition
The diversity of these awardees demonstrates Uttar Pradesh's substantial contributions to national development across arts, science, sports, and public service. From traditional crafts to cutting-edge medical research, from agricultural innovation to archaeological preservation, the state's honorees represent both preservation of heritage and advancement of modern knowledge.
This recognition particularly highlights how individuals from Uttar Pradesh are making significant impacts both within the state and at national and international levels. The awards acknowledge not just individual achievements but also the supportive ecosystems - educational institutions, cultural traditions, and community networks - that have nurtured this excellence.
The Padma Awards 2026 thus serve as a powerful testament to Uttar Pradesh's role as a crucible of talent and innovation, with its recipients embodying the spirit of dedication, resilience, and service that defines the highest ideals of Indian achievement.
