After two years away from the public eye due to health issues, Alka Yagnik says receiving the Padma Bhushan in person was an emotional moment for her. Speaking exclusively to BT, she reflected on the health challenges that forced her to step back from public life. In 2024, the singer had revealed on Instagram that she had been diagnosed with rare sensorineural hearing loss following a viral attack.

“I am ecstatic that I could personally go and receive the Padma Bhushan, even though it was not easy. For the last two years, I have stayed away from the spotlight, from public appearances, and from sharing much of my journey. Many know I have been going through a difficult phase with my health, and through it all, people’s love, prayers, messages and unwavering support have stayed with me,” she said.

Talking about the ceremony, Alka Yagnik said, “This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I wanted to be there not just for myself, but for all the listeners who have supported and loved me. This moment is especially meaningful because it marks not just a recognition of my work, but also a reminder of the strength that comes from love, hope and resilience. I am slowly finding my way back.”

The recognition has reaffirmed her belief in patience and perseverance. “Life unfolds in its own rhythm, and destiny reveals its gifts when the moment is right. Once an honour of this magnitude arrives, the question of ‘when’ begins to fade into the background. What remains is the joy of being recognized, the warmth of being remembered, and the profound gratitude that accompanies such an honour,” she shared.

Receiving the Padma Bhushan has been a deeply emotional and humbling moment for veteran singer Alka Yagnik, who says the honour feels like “an embrace of a lifetime’s devotion.” After decades of lending her voice to some of Indian cinema’s most memorable songs, the singer says being recognised by the country is among the greatest blessings an artiste can receive.

“Receiving the Padma Bhushan is a deeply moving and profoundly humbling moment for me. To be honoured by my country in this way feels like an embrace of a lifetime’s devotion — one of the highest blessings an artiste can receive — and I accept it.”

Reflecting on her long musical journey, Alka says music was never merely a profession for her, but the very essence of her life. “Music has been the very soul of my existence — it is not something I chose, but something that chose me. From my earliest memories, music has been my constant companion, my refuge, and my deepest form of expression,” she shares.

The singer adds that her relationship with music has been driven by constant learning and the emotional connection she feels with every song she sings. “What has kept me devoted is the endless joy of learning, the emotional connection with every song, and the privilege of touching people’s hearts through my voice,” she says.

While expressing gratitude for the Padma Bhushan, Alka candidly admits that a small part of her feels the recognition may have come a little late. “If I speak from the heart, there may be a gentle part of me that wonders whether this recognition could have arrived sooner. After dedicating my entire life to music, offering myself fully to my art with sincerity, discipline, and love, it is only natural to feel that such acknowledgement may have been due some time ago,” she says.

However, she believes time and experience have taught her patience and acceptance. “Life unfolds in its own rhythm, and destiny reveals its gifts when the moment is right. Once an honour of this magnitude arrives, the question of ‘when’ begins to fade into the background. What remains is the beauty of being seen, the warmth of being remembered, and the profound gratitude that accompanies such recognition,” she explains.

Surreal and unbelievable” is how the ‘queen of Indian pop’, singer Usha Uthup describes receiving the Padma Bhushan on Monday. “I couldn’t believe this was happening. The whole ceremony — starting from the rehearsal in the morning when we were told how to walk and go to her and face the camera — was surreal for me,” shares the 76-year-old.

The singer recalls the happy feeling washing over her during the ceremony, too: “You just do your work like a zombie and don’t think at that time because you are so overwhelmed. The excitement and nervousness were so great.”

Uthup got presented the country’s third-highest civilian honour, by President Droupadi Murmu, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi.

Expressing how proud she was to receive the honour at the President’s residence, Uthup says: “The grandeur of Rashtrapati Bhavan, and to know that the President and the PM were there, while I received the award in the presence of my family and friends, was just beautiful.”

The singer recalls this particular exchange with President Murmu, that left her elated. “At the photo op later, she said that she listens to Hari Om Hari, and that as a youngster, she used to dance to my songs!” says the Darling singer, adding, “Even the Home Minister said that he had heard me very closely in Kashmir. This was when we had done a nice show there once.”

You can't take "L or P" alone and the Padma Bhushan should be given to Pyarelal of course but also to her late father, Laxmikant's daughter said on Tuesday after the family wrote to the Union ministries of Home and Information and Broadcasting on the matter. Pyarelal, one half of the iconic composer duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal that gave music for over 700 films, was announced as a recipient of the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian honour, on the eve of Republic Day.

"We were very happy that Pyarelal uncle was finally awarded... We felt when it came to the Padma Bhushan honour, they couldn't divide LP and give it to Pyarelal uncle just because fortunately Pyarelal uncle is there and my dad has unfortunately passed away," Rajeshwari Laxmikant told PTI.

In her letters, Laxmikant's wife Jaya Kudalkar appealed to the government to include her late husband in the honour along with his co-collaborator.The letter to the I&B ministry was sent three days ago and the one to the Home ministry on Tuesday.

Rajeshwari said the family wrote the letter because LP, as the music duo was fondly known, worked as a team on every tune. "Pyare uncle definitely deserves it and so does my dad because the work, the contribution, is all the same," Rajeshwari said.

Laxmikant Kudalkar and Pyarelal Sharma made their debut as composers with 1963 film "Parasmani" and struck gold with the success of "Dosti" a year later. They went on to script musical history spanning more than 35 years, giving songs for classic albums such as "Do Raaste", "Daag", "Haathi Mere Sathi", "Bobby", "Amar Akbar Anthony" and "Karz". The partnership ended in 1998 with Laxmikant's death when he was just 60.

Rajeshwari said the award should have included both their names as they had been a team since they were children. She said Laxmikant was just 11 and Pyarelal nine when they met.

"They even shared the same blood group. They must have had some divine blessings with them... the fact that two musically inclined people came together at such a young age and they created history. So when the government is giving such a big honour, it should have been to both."

Rajeshwari said they could go public with their grievance because of the confidence that the government will take a decision and include Laxmikant's name.

"I'm sure they must have overlooked it or something or I don't know what exactly happened on their front. I'm sure they will look into the material and justify the whole thing," she said.

Asked whether the family felt let down, Rajeshwari said while there was no disappointment, they felt "there was an incompleteness in the award".

"We, being his family, were sentimental as we have seen the hard work, the struggle, the challenges that both of them faced... LP has been a name to both of them, it was never Laxmikant Kudalkar or Pyarelal Sharma, nor have they composed individually, you can't take L or P alone," she added.

LP's last collaboration was "Deewana Mastana". After Laxmikant's death, Pyarelal distanced himself from active composing duties and sporadically worked as a music arranger for songs such as Vishal-Shekhar's "Dhoom Taana" from 2007's "Om Shanti Om".

Veteran actress Vyjayanthimala, 79, who is based in Chennai, has taken to classical singing and later this month, will sing solo for the first time at a cultural event. She talks to Bombay Times about treading a different path, her contemporaries and how her life has changed over the years.

On singing solo for the first time
It's a new beginning for me. I have never sang solo before. I used to sing with my group at cultural festivals before, but I drifted away from music. I also had the fortune of being trained by DK Pattammal for a while, who was the doyen of Carnatic music. I'll be singing after a very long time, later this month in Chennai. The songs will be classical and a form of an offering for my guru. I won't sing for commercial reasons. My teachers are hoping that I don't scream (laughs)!

Not fascinated by cinema anymore
I got married to my husband (Chamanlal Bali) in 1968 and gave up films 47 years ago. I've never looked back as I wasn't tempted to act anymore. Today, I have nothing to do with cinema. Even when I was acting, I didn't allow it to come close to my classical dancing. There are so many different things to do in life. I was always inclined to traditional dance forms and sports more. I love playing golf today, thanks to my husband. I used to play tennis and badminton. I've won prizes for horse-riding. I am learning even at this age. There's nothing that one cannot do.“

On passion for dancing
Classical dance has been sacred to me. I bring forward old forgotten temple dance forms for today's audience. I've never performed on my film songs on stage. They are two different mediums. I wonder how some do it. I've planned to do a special performance in mid February, proceeds of which will go to the rehabilitation causes post the Chennai floods. My heart is grieving. The city suffered a lot, I was stuck in Bangalore at that time. Saira (Banu) is like a dear sister to me. She calls me akka. She was worried for me. I called her back and told her that I was fine. The people of Chennai have been strong.

On dance in films today
I don't watch films much but of what I see, the kind of dance you see in them today, is different from what we used to do. Changes are bound to happen but some are undesirable.

On Asha Parekh reportedly lobbying for Padma Bhushan
I heard about it. Asha is a very nice girl. I find the news a bit suspicious. The minister should not have disclosed it. She felt that she deserved it. Having said that, one shouldn't ask for an award. I have never used 'Padma Shri' before my name, was not keen on getting the Padma Bhushan either. By the grace of God, I've people's love and appreciation. That means much more.

On Sadhana
I didn't know her too well as she came much later. As an actress, she was very talented and spontaneous.

Baba Ramdev and Mata Amritanandmayi, actor Rajinikanth, Bollywood directors Rajkumar Hirani and Rohit Shetty, industrialists GVK Reddy and Shiv Nadar and veteran vocalist Girija Devi were among the 1,897 names recommended for Padma awards this year but did not figure in the final list announced on January 25.

The list of persons for whom recommendations were received from one or more sources included film personality Gautam Navnitlal Adhikari, actor Sachin Pilgaonkar, music director Anu Malik, comic book creator Anant Pai, sarangi player Ustad Kamal Sabri, sarod player Pandit Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, herbal cosmetics entrepreneur Shahnaz Hussain and fashion designer Ritu Beri.

Letters endorsing the names of celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor, Hindi poet Ashok Vajpayi, Sanskrit poet Pandit Mithilaprasad Tripathi, singer Preeti Sagar, spiritual guru Acharya Sri Sudarshan and LGBT rights activist Ashok Row Kavi were also addressed to the Padma awards committee. Among the sports personalities whose names were placed before the awards panel but did not show up in the final list put out on Republic Day eve were snooker champion Pankaj Advani and athlete Anju Bobby George.

The home ministry will shortly make public the list of all 1,897 names recommended for the prestigious awards - Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri - this year. As has been the practice since last year, the list of persons who recommended these names will also be uploaded on the home ministry website.

Though the list of Padma recommendations, accessed exclusively by TOI, confirms that Baba Ramdev was indeed recommended and considered by the Padma awards committee for the honour, senior home ministry officials remained tightlipped on whether he figured on the shortlist and got excluded after he declined the award.

The Padma Awards Committee painstakingly goes through the citations of each person recommended in a given year, before picking the final awardees. Awards are not conferred posthumously unless the person being considered has died within a year before the announcement of the list (one reason why Anant Pai may not have been chosen). Also, those facing criminal cases are usually rejected based on a verification of their antecedents.

As many as 104 persons were awarded the Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri this year. While senior BJP member L K Advani, Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and actors Amitabh Bachchan and Dilip Kumar were conferred the Padma Vibhushan, the highest civilian honour after the Bharat Ratna; former solicitor general Harish Salve and Microsoft founder Bill Gates and wife Melinda Gates were among those awarded the Padma Bhushan.

Last year around this time, an emotional Kamal Haasan, hurt by the controversies which had threatened to derail the release of his film, Vishwaroopam, had threatened to quit Tamil Nadu for a more secular state, failing which he even contemplated settling down abroad. 

Twelve months later, Kamal who has just been conferred with the prestigious Padma Bhushan, asserted, “I’m proud of this country and I know the country is proud of me too. This award is not for what I’ve accomplished so far but for the work ahead.” 

The 59-year-old actor, who has done around 190 films in a career spanning five decades, admitted that he had sat on the same staircase in his Eldams Road office in Chennai when he was a boy wondering if he’d ever make it in films. 

It was here that he sat and wept when he lost his parents. And it was from here that he addressed the media last year when the Vishwaroopam controversy broke. 

“My mindset hasn’t changed but I’ve come a long way from the boy who’d stare blankly out at Chennai’s Mount Road even as my family and friends teased me saying I’d end up rearing cattle. My mother would warn me that that’s how I’d end up if I didn’t study hard,” the actor recalled, adding that his quest for perfection is like an insatiable hunger. 

“Success makes one content but the journey towards excellence will always continue.” So, will we write his autobiography some day? “No way,” he retorts. “Most autobiographies lie and end up offending everyone.” 

He’d rather make movies. The next one is a sequel to Vishwaroopam which is fast nearing completion. “We have just one song and a few scenes which need to be shot, after that the post-production begins. The movie will release in a few months.”