Padma Vibhushan Award (1981-1990)

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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 (1981-1990)

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 (1981-1990)

This decade honored towering figures across science, arts, and public service. Aerospace scientist Satish Dhawan and sitar maestro Ravi Shankar shared 1981, while 1982 stood out as a single-recipient year honoring Gandhian activist Mirabehn. Chemist C.N.R. Rao, physicist M.G.K. Menon, social worker Baba Amte, and Kathak dancer Birju Maharaj followed, alongside economist Manmohan Singh (1987) and agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan (1989). The decade closed with missile scientist A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and vocalist Kumar Gandharva in 1990, reflecting India's blend of scientific achievement and cultural excellence.

Padma Vibhushan Award (1981-1990) Winners List

This Winners List features 23 winners of the Padma Vibhushan Award (1981-1990), from 1981 to 1990.

Year	Recipient Name	Gender	State, Country	Fields

1990	Dr. Vallampadugai Srinivasa Raghavan Arunachalam Also won: Padma Bhushan , Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology	male	Delhi, India	Literature & Education
1990	Avul Pakir Jinalabdeen Abdul Kalam Also won: Padma Bhushan	male	Tamil Nadu, India	Science & Engineering
1990	Shivputra Sidhram Komkali Alias Kumar Gandharv Also won: Padma Bhushan	male	Madhya Pradesh, India	Arts
1990	Triloki Nath Chaturvedi	male	Karnataka, India	Civil Service
1990	Prof. Bhabatosh Datta	male	West Bengal, India	Literature & Education
1989	Dr. Monkombu Sambasiva Swaminathan Also won: Padma Bhushan , Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology , Ramon Magsaysay Award	male	Tamil Nadu, India	Science & Engineering
1989	Umashankar Dikshit	male	Uttar Pradesh, India	Public Affairs
1989	Ustad Ali Akbar Khan	male	West Bengal, India	Arts
1988	Dr. Kuppali Venkatappa Gowda Puttappa Also won: Padma Bhushan	male	Karnataka, India	Literature & Education
1988	Mahadevi Varma Also won: Padma Bhushan	female	Uttar Pradesh, India	Literature & Education
1988	Justice Mirza Hameedullah Beg	male	Delhi, India	Public Affairs
1987	Dr. Benjamin Peary Pal Also won: Padma Bhushan	male	Delhi, India	Civil Service
1987	Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya Also won: Padma Bhushan , Ramon Magsaysay Award	female	Karnataka, India	Social Work
1987	Dr. Manmohan Singh	male	Delhi, India	Civil Service
1987	General Arun Shridhar Vaidya (Posthumous)	male	Maharashtra, India	Civil Service
1986	Murlidhar Devidas Alias Baba Amte Also won: Ramon Magsaysay Award	male	Maharashtra, India	Social Work
1986	Birju Maharaj	male	Delhi, India	Arts
1986	Prof. Autar Singh Paintal	male	Delhi, India	Medicine
1985	Dr. Mambillikalathil Govinda Kumar Menon Also won: Padma Bhushan , Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology	male	Kerala, India	Civil Service
1985	Prof. Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao Also won: Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology	male	Karnataka, India	Science & Engineering
1982	Mira Behn	female	London, England	Social Work
1981	Dr. Satish Dhawan Also won: Padma Bhushan	male	Karnataka, India	Science & Engineering
1981	Ravi Shankar Also won: Padma Bhushan , Ramon Magsaysay Award	male	Uttar Pradesh, India	Arts