Padma Vibhushan Award (1954-1960)

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Published Sep 9, 2026 Updated Sep 9, 2026 1 min read

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Name	Padma Vibhushan
Type	Civilian Awards
Award For	Exceptional and Distinguished Service
Award By	Goverment of India
First	1954
Last	26th January 2026
Status	Active
Country	India

About Padma Vibhushan Award (1954-1960)

The Padma Vibhushan is the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service". All persons without distinction of race, occupation, position or sex are eligible for these awards.

History of Padma Vibhushan Award (1954-1960)

In its founding years, India's second-highest civilian honor recognized a small, elite group across science, arts, and public life. Physicist Satyendra Nath Bose and painter Nandalal Bose were among the inaugural 1954 laureates, alongside statesman Zakir Husain and Bhutan's King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, a rare foreign recipient. Later honorees included industrialists J.R.D. Tata (1955) and G.D. Birla (1957), educationist Dhondo Keshav Karve, and jurist Radhabinod Pal (1959), famed for his Tokyo war-crimes dissent. Public affairs dominated; no awards were given in 1958.

Padma Vibhushan Award (1954-1960) Winners List

This Winners List features 18 winners of the Padma Vibhushan Award (1954-1960), from 1954 to 1960.

Year	Recipient Name	Gender	State, Country	Fields

1960	Narayana Raghavan Pillai	male	Tamil Nadu, India	Public Affairs
1959	Dr. John Matthai	male	Kerala, India	Literature & Education
1959	Gaganvihari Lallubhai Mehta	male	Maharashtra, India	Social Work
1959	Dr. Radha Binode Pal	male	West Bengal, India	Public Affairs
1957	Ghanshyamdas Birla	male	Rajasthan, India	Trade & Industry
1957	Sri Prakasa	male	Uttar Pradesh, India	Public Affairs
1957	Motilal Chimanlal Setalvad	male	Maharashtra, India	Public Affairs
1956	Saiyid Fazl Ali	male	Bihar, India	Public Affairs
1956	Jankibai Bajaj	female	Madhya Pradesh, India	Social Work
1956	Chandulal Madhavlal Trivedi	male	Madhya Pradesh, India	Public Affairs
1955	Dr. Dhondo Keshav Karve	male	Maharashtra, India	Literature & Education
1955	Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata	male	Maharashtra, India	Trade & Industry
1954	Dr. Satyendra Nath Bose	male	West Bengal, India	Science & Engineering
1954	Nandlal Bose	male	West Bengal, India	Arts
1954	Dr. Zakir Husain	male	Andhra Pradesh, India	Public Affairs
1954	Bal Gangadhar Kher	male	Maharashtra, India	Public Affairs
1954	Vengalil Krishnan Krishna Menon	male	Kerala, India	Public Affairs
1954	Jigme Dorji Wangchuck (Non-citizen)	male	Thimphu, Bhutan	Public Affairs