Padma awards 2021: SP Balasubrahmanyam awarded Padma Vibhushan posthumously, KS Chitra conferred Padma Bhushan

The annual Padma awards were announced by the Ministry of Home Affairs today on the eve of Republic Day. The list comprises 7 Padma Vibhushan, 10 Padma Bhushan, and 102 Padma Shri winners. Legendary singer SP Balasubrahmanyam, who recently passed away, was posthumously conferred the second-highest civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan, becoming just the eighteenth such recipient. He was previously awarded the Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri in 2011 and 2001, respectively. 

Six-time National Award winner KS Chitra was bestowed the Padma Bhushan honour, sixteen years after she was awarded the Padma Shri. Among other Padma awardees are Carnatic musician, lyricist and writer Kaithapram Damodaran Namboodiri, and Carnatic musician-singer Bombay Jayashri who were awarded the Padma Shri.  

Noted Tamil scholar and actor Solomon Pappaiah was conferred with the Padma Shri (Literature-Education and Journalism). This honour was also given to celebrated Villupaatu exponent Subbu Arumugam. 

The Padma Shri awardees this year from the field of arts include Gulfam Ahmed, Rama Swamy Annavarapu, Bhuri Bai, Radhe Shyam Barle, Biren Kumar Basak, Peter Brook, Gopiram Bargayn Burabhakat, Narayan Debnath, Dulari Devi, Radhe Devi, Wayan Dibia, Parshuram Atmaram Gangavane, Purnamasi Jani, B Manjamma Jogati, Maheshbhai & Nareshbhai Kanodia (Posthumous), K Kesavasamy, Ghulam Rasool Khan, Lakha Khan, Sanjida Khatun, Vinayak Vishnu Khedekar, Lajwanti, Ramachandra Manjhi, Dulal Manki, Rewben Mashangva, K K Ramachandra Pulavar, Kanaka Raju, Satyaram Reang, Kartar Paras Ram Singh, Kartar Singh, K C Sivasankar (Posthumous), and Nidumolu Sumathi.