Eleven people from Bengal are among the 131 individuals selected for the Padma honours this year, announced by the Union home ministry on the eve of Republic Day.
All 11 have received the Padma Shri, with no representation from West Bengal in the Padma Vibhushan or Padma Bhushan categories this year.
The Bengali awardees come from varied backgrounds, from cinema halls and village courtyards to classrooms and handloom clusters, united by decades of work in their respective fields.
Actor Prosenjit Chatterjee is among the recipients. One of the most recognisable faces of Bengali cinema, he has worked in more than 350 films over a career spanning over five decades.
In addition to films, he has played prominent roles in television series, remaining a familiar presence on screen across generations.
Ashok Kumar Halder has been awarded the Padma Shri for his contribution to education and literature. Hailing from Malda, Halder began his working life as a railway security guard.
Over the years, he emerged as a Dalit writer whose work earned wide recognition.
The Padma Shri has been awarded posthumously to theatre personality Harimadhav Mukherjee for his contribution to the arts. From Dakshin Dinajpur, Mukherjee directed more than 60 plays over six decades.
He wrote plays, acted on stage and directed productions in regional languages. A disciple of Jagmohan Majumdar and Ajitesh Banerjee, he took theatre beyond urban centres to rural Bengal.
Harimadhav Mukherjee passed away in March 2025 at the age of 83.
Harimadhav Mukhopadhyay's son said on Sunday, "I received a call from the minister of human resource development, who informed me that my father, Harimadhav Mukhopadhyay, is being awarded the Padma Shri posthumously. We are extremely happy and proud that his contributions to theater are being recognized by the central government. We are very grateful for this honor, and it brings us immense joy."
Jyotish Debnath, a weaver from Purba Burdwan, has been recognised for his work in Jamdani weaving. Active in the craft for over four decades, he has trained more than 10,000 weavers by hand, contributing to the continuation and spread of the tradition.
Tabla player Kumar Bose has also received the Padma Shri. A practitioner of the Banaras Gharana, Bose earlier received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2007. Based in Kolkata, he has also been honoured by the West Bengal government.
From Birbhum, Kantha artist Tripti Mukherjee has been awarded the Padma Shri for her work in popularising Kantha embroidery. Through training and community initiatives, she has helped more than 20,000 women earn a livelihood.
Her earlier recognitions include the Bangashree Award, a National Award and the Union ministry of textiles’ ‘Shilpa Guru’ Award.
Mukherjee said on Sunday, "I am very happy because I have been waiting for this for many years. I would like to give the credit for this to my parents. I learned this hand embroidery from my mother, and I have been learning it from her ever since. Have been doing this since last 40 years. I taught this skill to at least 20,000 women throughout my entire Birbhum district. I am still working."
The list also includes santoor player Tarun Bhattacharya, cardiologist Saroj Mondal for his contribution to medicine, and Santali writer Ravi Lal Tudu for his work in literature and education.
Chemistry professor and researcher Mahendranath Roy has been recognised for his contribution to education, as has Gambhir Singh Yonzone, an educationist and social activist from Darjeeling.