11 out of 113 Padma Shri awardees are from West Bengal.
1 out of 19 women Padma Shri recipients is from West Bengal.
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Sanchita Chatterjee, BS News Agency, Kolkata, January 25, 2026: The President has approved a total of 131 Padma Awards for the year 2026. The list includes five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan, and 113 Padma Shri awards. A total of 19 women have been conferred with these honours. The list also includes six awardees from the Foreigner/NRI/PIO/OCI category and 16 posthumous awardees. Of the 113 Padma Shri recipients, 11 are from West Bengal. One of the 19 women Padma Shri recipients from various states is from West Bengal.
Notable Padma Shri recipients from West Bengal include Shri Prosenjit Chatterjee, a prominent actor and renowned producer of Bengali cinema; Shri Kumar Bose, a renowned tabla player and composer of Indian classical music; and Pandit Tarun Bhattacharya, a distinguished santoor player who invented the ‘Mankas’ or fine tuner that helps in quick tuning of the santoor.
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Other Padma Shri recipients from the state include Shri Ashok Kumar Halder, a distinguished writer and educationist from Malda. He has written more than 2500 articles for various newspapers, and his book ‘Remove the Dark to Awake up the Light of Knowledge’ has received presidential recognition. Another Padma Shri recipient from West Bengal is Shri Gambhir Singh Yonjon, a distinguished litterateur and educationist who has dedicated himself to the development of backward and remote areas of the Darjeeling hills, as well as to education, environmental conservation, and social service. He has played a significant role in developing educational infrastructure by establishing libraries, natural resource-based research programs, and science centers to foster a scientific temperament among children. He has personally provided financial and other assistance to many poor and meritorious students by creating a fund for them.
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Shri Harimadhab Mukherjee, a prominent theatre personality and playwright working in the North Bengal region, who produced plays like 'Teen Bigyani' and 'Galileo', has been awarded the Padma Shri posthumously this year. Shri Jyotish Debnath from Kalna in Purba Bardhaman district is known for his exceptional skill in weaving fine muslin Jamdani. He has been awarded the Padma Shri this year in recognition of his unique expertise in this art form, which uses only hand-spun yarn.
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Another distinguished academician from North Bengal, Dr. Mahendra Nath Roy (Matigara, Darjeeling district), the founder and Vice-Chancellor of Alipurduar University, has also been conferred with the Padma Shri. His research areas include host-guest inclusion complexes, nanoparticles, solution thermodynamics, surfactants, and polymer chemistry. Professor Roy has supervised 106 PhD research projects, reviewed 59 PhD theses, and authored more than 515 research papers and books in chemistry. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC), London, UK.
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Shri Rabilal Tudu from Bardhaman district, a prominent writer in the Santali language who received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2015, has also been awarded the Padma Shri this year.
Dr. Saroj Mandal, a renowned cardiologist associated with a multi-specialty hospital in Kolkata, has also received the Padma Shri award this year. His contributions to complex medical fields are significant. He is well-known for his accurate diagnosis and compassionate treatment of patients. His areas of expertise include cardiac imaging, cardiac catheterization, coronary arteriography and intervention, as well as experience in pacemaker and other device implantations.
Finally, Smt. Tripti Mukherjee, a renowned Kantha artist from Birbhum—who has trained over 20,000 local women through free training programs—has also been awarded the Padma Shri this year.