As the country celebrates the spirit of unity and patriotism on Republic Day eve, the Government of India gave us another reason to celebrate by announcing the prestigious Padma Award winners of 2026.
The list features prominent names who have made significant contributions to the industries they have worked in and excelled. While the late Bollywood legendDharmendra is awarded with the Padma Vibhushan, another name from tinsel town receiving the Padma Bhushan honour is the iconic singer Alka Yagnik. The melody queen, who has enthralled the country and the world with her talent for decades, has now reacted to the recognition.
Alka Yagnik, who entered the world of playback singing in the 1980s, has remained one of the most relevant artists ever since. Her songs have been loved by generations, and her vocal range is widely appreciated. Over the course of her career, Yagnik has given some of the most iconic Hindi songs, which have stood the test of time. On winning the Padma Bhushan award in 2026, the singer thanked the government, sharing her thoughts on the honour.
Talking to HT City, she expressed her happiness, saying, “I want to thank the government for giving me this prestigious honour. And of course, I really, really want to thank all my listeners for their unconditional love.”
Alka Yagnik, who most recently sang the song Naram Kaalja in Imtiaz Ali’s Amar Singh Chamkila, has also sung hits like Ek Do Teen, Taal Se Taal Mila, O Re Chhori, Agar Tum Saath Ho, and many more iconic songs in a career that spans nearly five decades as a playback singer.
Talking about Padma Bhushan awardees, alongside Alka Yagnik, others to receive the honour are Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Kallipatti Ramasamy Palaniswamy, Mammootty, Nori Dattatreyudu, Piyush Pandey (posthumous), S K M Maeilanandhan, Shatavadhani R Ganesh, Shibu Soren (posthumous), Uday Kotak, V K Malhotra (posthumous), Vellappally Natesan, and Vijay Amritraj.
Meanwhile, the list of Padma Vibhushan awardees includes Dharmendra Singh Deol (posthumous), K T Thomas, N Rajam, P Narayanan, and V S Achuthanandhan (posthumous).
