Three Gujaratis among 45 'unsung heroes' to receive Padma awards ahead of Republic Day

As India prepares to celebrate its 77th Republic Day, the Centre has selected 45 ‘unsung heroes’ from across the country for the prestigious Padma Awards, recognising their distinguished and selfless service to society. Among them are three eminent personalities from Gujarat, whose contributions in the fields of art and social service have earned national recognition.

According to sources familiar with the Padma Awards list, the three awardees from Gujarat are:

Mir Hajibhai Kasambhai (Junagadh) – for his outstanding contribution to folk and devotional music

Nilesh Mandalewala (Surat) – for pioneering work in organ donation and social service

Dharmiklal Chunilal Pandya (Vadodara) – for preserving and promoting the traditional Manbhatt folk art

An official announcement of the Padma Award recipients is expected by Sunday evening.

The Padma Awards under the ‘Unsung Heroes’ category honour individuals who have worked tirelessly at the grassroots level, often away from the public spotlight, to bring meaningful and lasting change in society. These individuals are seen as inspirational forces behind social, cultural and humanitarian transformations.

Mir Hajibhai Kasambhai, popularly known as Haji Ramakdu, is a celebrated dholak player known for his performances in bhajans, santvani, ghazals and qawwalis, while Nilesh Mandalewala is widely regarded as a torchbearer of the organ donation movement in Gujarat, having facilitated the donation of over 1,300 organs and tissues through his organisation. Dharmiklal Chunilal Pandya has played a key role in keeping alive the Manbhatt storytelling and folk art tradition.

The inclusion of these three names highlights Gujarat’s strong presence in the list of awardees who have contributed significantly to culture, humanity and social welfare.

The Padma Awards—among India’s highest civilian honours—are conferred in three categories: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri, and are announced annually on the eve of Republic Day to recognise excellence in public service across diverse fields.

Earlier in the day, the government also announced gallantry and service medals for nearly 1,000 personnel from police, fire, home guard and civil defence services, further marking the spirit of national service ahead of Republic Day celebrations.

Below is the list of Padma Awardees (as per sources):

Bhagwandas Raikar (Madhya Pradesh)

Bhiklya Ladkya Dhinda (Maharashtra)

Brij Lal Bhatt (Jammu and Kashmir)

Charan Hembram (Odisha)

Chiranjee Lal Yadav (Uttar Pradesh)

Dr Padma Gurmet (Jammu and Kashmir)

Kollakkaiyil Devaki Amma Ji (Kerala)

Mahendra Kumar Mishra (Odisha)

Naresh Chandra Dev Verma (Tripura)

Othuvar Thiruthani (Tamil Nadu)

Raghupat Singh (Uttar Pradesh)

Raghuveer Khedkar (Maharashtra)

Rajastapathi Kalaiyappa Gounder (Tamil Nadu)

Sangyusang S. Pongener (Nagaland)

Shrirang Devba Lad (Maharashtra)

Thiruvarur Bakthavatsalam (Tamil Nadu)

Anke Gowda (Karnataka)

Armida Fernandes (Maharashtra)

Dr Shyam Sundar (Uttar Pradesh)

Gaffaruddin Mewati (Rajasthan)

Khem Raj Sundriyal (Haryana)

Mir Hajibhai Kasambhai (Gujarat)

Mohan Nagar (Madhya Pradesh)

Nilesh Mandlewala (Gujarat)

R & S Godbole (Chhattisgarh)

Ram Reddy Mamidi (Telangana)

Simanchal Patro (Odisha)

Suresh Hanagwadi (Karnataka)

Techi Gubin (Arunachal Pradesh)

Yumnam Jatra Singh (Manipur)

Budhri Tathi (Chhattisgarh)

Dr Kumarasamy Thangaraj (Telangana)

Dr Punniyamurthy Natarajan (Tamil Nadu)

Haily War (Meghalaya)

Inderjit Singh Sidhu (Chandigarh)

K. Pazhanivel (Puducherry)

Kailash Chandra Pant (Madhya Pradesh)

Nuruddin Ahmed (Assam)

Pokila Lektepi (Assam)

R. Krishnan (Tamil Nadu)

S.G. Sushilemma (Karnataka)

Taga Ram Bhil (Rajasthan)

Vishva Bandhu (Bihar)

Dharmiklal Chunilal Pandya (Gujarat)

Shafi Shauq (Jammu and Kashmir)

(This story was taken from syndicated feed and was only edited for style by Gujarat Samachar Digital team)