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Sania Mirza of India celebrates winning a set with her partner Martina Hingis of Switzerland as they play Timea Babos of Hungary and Kristina Mladenovic of France during their doubles match at the WTA tennis finals in Singapore, Friday, Oct. 30, 2015. (AP Photo/Joseph Nair)
NEW DELHI -- The Indian government on Monday announced the 2016 Padma Awardees.
The awardees, revealed ahead of Republic Day, every year, are conferred in three categories: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.
Padma Vibhushan: actor Rajinikanth, classical singer Girija Devi, classical dancer Yamini Krishnamurthi, media baron Ramoji Rao, spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravishankar, former governor of Jammu and Kashmir Jagmohan, V. Shanta, chairman of the Adyar Cancer Institute, and Vasudev Kalkunte Aatre, former head of the Defence Research and Development Organisation.
Dhirubhai Ambani, founder of Reliance Industries, who died in 2002, will receive a posthumous Padma Vibhushan.
Padma Bhushan: actor Anupam Kher, singer Udit Narayan, tennis champion Sania Mirza, badminton champion Saina Nehwal, former Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai, former United States Ambassador to India Robert Blackwill, sculptor Ram Sutar, Indu Jain, chairperson of Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd., and R.C. Bhargav, chairman of Maruti Suzuki.
Other Padma Bhushan awardees include Barjinder Singh Hamdard, managing editor of the Punjabi newspaper Daily Ajit, Swami Tejomayananda, head of Chinmaya Mission, Sanskrit scholar N.S. Ramanuja Tatacharya, D. Nageshwar Reddy, gastroenterologist at the Kurnool Medical College, and theatre personality Heisnam Kanhailal.
Padma Shri: public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, actor Ajay Devgan and actor Priyanaka Chopra.
Reactions came in fast and furious after the names of the awardees were announced on Monday afternoon.
Its a truly humbling experience to b honoured with the Padma Bhushan award and will serve to inspire me to earn more laurels for my country😀
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left and French President Francois Hollande greet each other at the Rock Garden in Chandigarh, India, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016. Hollande began a three-day visit to India on Sunday that could push a multibillion-dollar deal for combat airplanes and closer cooperation on counterterrorism and clean energy. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, watches as French President Francois Hollande waves to the media at the Rock Garden in Chandigarh, India, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016. Hollande began a three-day visit to India on Sunday that could push a multibillion-dollar deal for combat airplanes and closer cooperation on counterterrorism and clean energy. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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French President Francois Hollande, left, poses with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a visit to the Capitol Complex in Chandigarh, India, Sunday, Jan.24, 2016. Hollande began a three-day visit to India on Sunday. Designed in the 1950s by Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier, Chandigarh is one of three places that France has pledged to help develop as so-called "smart cities" â with clean water supplies, efficient sewage disposal and public transportation. (AP Photo/Kapil Sethi) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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French President Francois Hollande, left, walks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a visit to the Capitol Complex in Chandigarh, India, Sunday, Jan.24, 2016. Hollande began a three-day visit to India on Sunday. Designed in the 1950s by Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier, Chandigarh is one of three places that France has pledged to help develop as so-called "smart cities" â with clean water supplies, efficient sewage disposal and public transportation. (AP Photo/Kapil Sethi) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left and French President Francois Hollande attend the India France Business meeting in Chandigarh, India, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016. Hollande and French business leaders met with Indian counterparts to boost bilateral trade, which in 2014 stood at $8.6 billion. New Delhi is also trying to encourage French companies to tap into India's economic boom.(AP Photo/Manish Swarup) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, and French President Francois Hollande greet each other at the Rock Garden in Chandigarh, India, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016. Hollande began a three-day visit to India on Sunday that could push a multibillion-dollar deal for combat airplanes and closer cooperation on counter-terrorism and clean energy. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
India France(07 of10)
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, fourth right, French President Francois Hollande, third right and France's environment minister Segolene Royal, second right, look at sculptures at the Rock Garden in Chandigarh, India, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016. Hollande began a three-day visit to India on Sunday that could push a multibillion-dollar deal for combat airplanes and closer cooperation on counter-terrorism and clean energy. (Atul Yadav /Press Trust of India via AP) INDIA OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT, NO ARCHIVE (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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French President Francois Hollande, second right, and France's environment minister Segolene Royal, third right, stand as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, gestures during a visit to the Capitol Complex in Chandigarh, India, Sunday, Jan.24, 2016. Hollande began a three-day visit to India on Sunday. Designed in the 1950s by Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier, Chandigarh is one of three places that France has pledged to help develop as so-called "smart cities" â with clean water supplies, efficient sewage disposal and public transportation. (AP Photo/Kapil Sethi) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
-- This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which
closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions
or concerns about this article, please contact
indiasupport@huffpost.com.