Veteran Indian playback singer Alka Yagnik received the Padma Bhushan at a civil investiture ceremony in New Delhi today, May 25, where President Droupadi Murmu is set to confer the award at Rashtrapati Bhawan, according to a report.
Speaking about the honour, the 60-year-old singer expressed her gratitude to the government and her listeners. She said, “I just want to thank the Government of India for giving me this prestigious honour,” adding, “I also want to thank all my listeners for their unconditional love. Thank you so, so much.”
Alka Yagnik is among the prominent personalities included in this year’s Padma Awards list, which features 131 awardees across various fields. Of these, 66 recipients are being honoured at today’s ceremony.
Over her career, Yagnik has delivered several popular songs, including ‘Ek Do Teen’ and ‘Tip Tip Barsa Paani’, which became widely recognised hits.
The Padma Bhushan list also includes other notable names such as actor Mammootty, former tennis player Vijay Amritraj, banker Uday Kotak and politician Bhagat Singh Koshyari. Meanwhile, the Padma Shri category features sports personalities including Rohit Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur, Savita Punia and Praveen Kumar.
The report also notes that the Padma Vibhushan has been awarded posthumously to late actor Dharmendra.
Alka Yagnik is currently recovering from illness and had previously shared that she was still suffering but hopeful to recover soon.
