Padma Bhushan Award 1985

1985 produced a large batch of 21 Padma Bhushan awards. Vocalist Bhimsen Joshi and Malayalam novelist Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai anchored the arts and literature honorees, alongside dancer Kalanidhi Narayanan and arts figure Santidev Ghosh. Physicist Bernard Peters, a Denmark-based cosmic-ray researcher, was the sole foreign recipient. Scientists Eknath Chitnis and Virender Chopra represented India's space and agricultural research establishments. With no posthumous entries, 1985 stands out as one of the largest and most literature-heavy Padma Bhushan lists.

The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service of a high order, without distinction of race, occupation, position or sex".