Three of the awardees have been recognised in the ‘unsung heroes’ categories for their social work
Shatavadhani R. Ganesh and former BJP Rajya Sabha member Prabhakar B. Kore are among the eight personalities from Karnataka to feature on the list of Padma awardees this year, announced on the eve of Republic Day.
While Dr. Ganesh has been awarded Padma Bhushan in the category of Art, three among the Padma Shri awardees- Anke Gowda M. from Mandya district, Suresh Hanagavadi from Davangere, S.G. Susheelamma from Bengaluru- have been identified as “unsung heroes.”
Shatavadhani R. Ganesh
Sholar and artist, Mr. Ganesh is the only personality from Karnataka to figure in the Padma Bhushan category. He is widely acclaimed for reviving and mastering avadhana, an ancient art form.
An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Science and a student of Metallurgy, Dr. Ganesh, a writer in Kannada and Sanskrit, is credited with the revival of the tradition of Avadhana in Kannada. Avadhana requires focus, concentration and alertness among other skills to compose poetry or face literary challenges posed by other scholars simultaneously in a unique literary event. He is also the author of several works.
S.G. Susheelamma
A well-known social activist from Bengaluru and the driving force behind the non-profit organisation Sumangali Seva Ashrama, Ms. Susheelamma has been selected for the Padma Shri Award 2026 in recognition of her decades-long commitment to social service. She is widely respected for her work with abandoned women, orphaned children and marginalised sections of society.
Ms. Susheelamma told The Hindu that she had never sought accolades or public acknowledgement for her work. She said the award was a result of “divine grace and the goodwill of the people”. Recalling the early days of her organisation, she said the ashram was established in October, 1975, after she encountered children in urgent need of shelter and care. “I decided to take responsibility for their wellbeing, which eventually led to the formation of the institution.” The ashram has expanded its activities to include a nursery and higher primary school, adult literacy initiatives, health check-up camps, etc.
Suresh Hanagavadi
JJM medical college professor and founder of the Karnataka Haemophilia Society (KHS), Dr. Hanagavadi began researching Haemophilia after he found that he was suffering from the condition. He founded the KHS with the support of play back singer S.P. Balasubramanyam. Over the years, he has treated several thousand children and adults suffering from Haemophilia.
He told reporters in Davangere that he was happy that the cause of Haemophilia had been recognised at the national level due to the award. “After being diagnosed with the condition, I founded the society to try and create awareness about it, and promote further research. I only think of it as my responsibility as a medicine teacher and doctor,’’ he said.
Anke Gowda
The 75-year-old runs Pustaka Mane (House of Books) in Haralahalli village of Pandavapura taluk in Mandya district that has a collection of more than 20 lakh books. The institution is regarded as one of the country’s largest personal libraries, offering free access to readers.
A book curator and librarian, Mr. Gowda worked as a bus conductor before joining a sugar factory in Pandavapura as a timekeeper, setting aside a major portion of his salary to buy books. He not only sold his site in Mysuru, but also invested his retirement funds to procure books for the library. His collection of books, which he started when he was 20 years old, spans literature, science, technology, mythology and philosophy, and includes rare historical manuscripts dating back to 1832. It also features more than 5,000 dictionaries in multiple languages.
Shubha Venkatesha Iyengar
A former National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL) scientist who is noted for her contribution in the development of DRISHTI Transmissometer, which is a runway visibility measuring system and Aviation Weather Monitoring System that has been installed in more than 100 locations across the country.
Ms. Shuba joined the NAL in 1974 as a research student and was a scientist in the Material Science Division and Airport Instrument Division. She retired from the NAL in 2020. “It is nice to note that our team’s contribution to the country has been recognised. I want to thank my parents for allowing me to pursue my higher education as it was very different at that time for women to pursue higher education but my father encouraged me to do my PhD,” Ms. Shuba said.
Shashi Shekhar Vempati
Former Prasar Bharati Chief Executive Officer Shashi Shekhar Vempati has been selected for the Padma Shri for his contributions to media. Mr. Vempati took charge as CEO of the Prasar Bharati in June 2017 and completed a full five-year term. An alumnus of IIT Bombay, he was the youngest person and the first non-civil servant to head Prasar Bharati since the institution was established in 1997.
During his tenure, he also served concurrently as Chief Executive Officer of the Rajya Sabha between August 2017 and May 2019. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Vempati had a long professional association with Infosys Technologies and later lead a digital news start-up, Niti Digital.
Prabhakar Basavprabhu Kore
Former chairman of the KLE Society, the 78-year-old educationist has led the KLE Society for over 40 years. The society was running 30 educational institutions in 1985 when he took over. Now, it runs 316 schools, colleges and hospitals with over 18,000 staff and 1.45 lakh students. Its hospitals have over 3,000 beds and provide tertiary specialist treatment to patients in various fields of medicine.
T.T. Jagannathan (Posthumous)
Chairman emeritus of T.T.K. Prestige, Mr. Jagannathan passed away in Bengaluru in October, 2025, at 77. He led TTK to become a market leader in the small appliances industry in the country. He was instrumental in transforming the company to reach a market cap of over one billion dollars. He was the longest-serving director/chairman in the company’s history.
Published – January 25, 2026 10:57 pm IST
