New Delhi: Four distinguished personalities from Odisha have been selected for the Padma Shri Awards 2026, one of the country’s highest civilian honours. Their contributions to culture, literature, crafts, and tribal studies have earned the State national recognition.
The awardees from Odisha are veteran Prahlad Natak artist Seemanchal Patra of Ganjam district, Santali linguist and researcher Charan Hembram, master weaver Sharat Kumar Patra, and tribal writer and educationist Mahendra Kumar Mishra, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Hembram is known for his lifelong work in preserving the Santali language and tribal heritage. Through more than 1,500 “Itun Asra” centres, he has worked to empower tribal youth and safeguard indigenous traditions.
Seemanchal has devoted over eight decades to promoting Prahlad Natak, a traditional folk theatre form of southern Odisha. He has also invested much of his personal savings to ensure the survival of the art form.
Weaver Sharat has earned recognition for innovation in ikat weaving. He has developed over 50 natural dyes and revived traditional dyeing practices. His work has helped train hundreds of marginalised weavers and revive the sector.
Mahendra has authored more than 25 books and contributed over 100 research papers. His work has played a key role in preserving tribal languages and literature for future generations.
Meanwhile, the ministry released the complete list of Padma Awards 2026 on Sunday. A total of 131 individuals have been selected across fields such as art, social service, public affairs, science and engineering, medicine, literature, education, sports, and civil services.
Among them, five will receive the Padma Vibhushan, 13 the Padma Bhushan, and 113 the Padma Shri. The list includes 19 women, six foreign nationals or Persons of Indian Origin, and 16 posthumous awards. The award ceremony will be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in March or April.
At the national level, late actor Dharmendra and former Kerala Chief Minister V. S. Achuthanandan will be honoured with the Padma Vibhushan posthumously. Former Supreme Court judge Justice K. T. Thomas, Hindustani classical musician N. Rajam, and writer-educationist P. Narayanan will also receive the honour.
Prominent Padma Bhushan awardees include singer Alka Yagnik, actor Mammootty, former Uttarakhand Chief Minister and former Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, industrialist Uday Kotak, and former tennis star Vijay Amritraj, according to an official statement.
Among the Padma Shri recipients are cricketer Rohit Sharma, Indian women’s cricket team Captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Paralympics gold medallist Praveen Kumar, and Indian women’s hockey goalkeeper Savita Punia. Actors R. Madhavan, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Anil Rastogi, and Arvind Vaidya have also been selected.
