On Monday, May 25, President Droupadi Murmu presented Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri awards for 2026 at the Civil Investiture Ceremony-I held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
IMAGE: President Droupadi Murmu presents the Padma Vibhushan to the late legendary actor Dharmendra. BJP MP Hema Malini, Dharmendra's wife, received the award. Photograph: Jitender Gupta/ANI Photo
IMAGE: President Murmu presents the Padma Shri to India's women's cricket Captain Harmanpreet Kaur. Photograph: Jitender Gupta/ANI Photo
IMAGE: President Murmu confers the Padma Bhushan on Shatavadhani Dr R Ganesh for his contribution to Indian literature and the performing arts. Photograph: Jitender Gupta/ANI Photo
IMAGE: President Murmu confers the Padma Vibhushan on violin maestro, Dr N Rajam. Photograph: Jitender Gupta/ANI Photo
IMAGE: President Murmu confers the Padma Bhushan on former Uttarakhand chief minister Bhagat Singh Koshyari. Photograph: Jitender Gupta/ANI Photo
IMAGE: President Murmu presents the Padma Bhushan to banker Uday Sureshkumar Kotak. Photograph: Jitender Gupta/ANI Photo
IMAGE: President Murmu presents the Padma Bhushan to the late politician and sports administrator Vijay Kumar Malhotra. His son Ajay Kumar Malhotra received the award. Photograph: Jitender Gupta/ANI Photo
IMAGE: President Murmu presents the Padma Bhushan to Gastroenterologist Dr Kallipatti Ramasamy Palaniswamy. Photograph: Jitender Gupta/ANI Photo
IMAGE: President Murmu confers the Padma Bhushan on the late advertising legend Piyush Pandey. His wife Neeta Joshi received the award. Photograph: Jitender Gupta/ANI Photo
IMAGE: Silambam exponent K Pajanivel greets Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he arrives to receive the Padma Shri for his contribution to traditional martial arts. Photograph: Jitender Gupta/ANI Photo
IMAGE: Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, Union Ministers Dr Mansukh Mandaviya and Giriraj Singh, and others at the Civil Investiture Ceremony -- I. Photograph: Jitender Gupta/ANI Photo
IMAGE: President Murmu poses for a photograph with Vice President C P Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and the awardees. Photograph: Press Secretary to the President/ANI Photo
Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff
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