Ahead of the 72nd Republic Day, the Indian government has on Monday announced the Padma Awards 2021 and the government has conferred the highest civilian honors for the icons and leaders across all walks of life and beyond the borders who had done remarkable and significant contribution in their respective stages and left an everlasting legacy. The Padma Awards are the symbol of national recognition and they have covered the areas like art, literature, social work, sports, medicine, science, trade, and engineering. 

According to reports, the government has unveiled the winners of the Padma awards following the address of President Ram Nath Kovind, who addressed the nation in the wake of its 72nd Republic Day. A total of 119 awardees have been honored this year for their contributions to the above-mentioned disciplines. Of these 119 recipients, seven are conferred with Padma Vibhushan, which the second-highest civilian honor after Bharat Ratna, ten people are conferred with Padma Bhushan, and the rest 102 are bestowed with Padma Shri awards. 

In this year's list, several reputed and notable icons from Tamil Nadu including SPB, Solomon Papaiah, and Zoho Corporation's Sridhar Vembu have been conferred with the Padma Awards. This article takes you through the awardees from Tamil Nadu who are going to decorate the highest honors. There are eleven icons from Tamil Nadu who are conferred with the awards and let's take a look at them. 

SP Balasubrahmanyam - Padma Vibhushan: 

Legendary playback singer SP Balasubrahmanyam, who fondly called SPB, has been conferred with Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest after Bharat Ratna, posthumously. SPB had left behind an everlasting legacy through his unparallel contribution and magnetic voice which etched his era in the movie industry and inspired millions across and beyond the borders. In his career spanning six decades, he had sung over 40,000 songs in different languages. 

SPB had already been conferred with Padma Shri (2001), Padma Bhushan (2011). He passed away at the age of 74 in September 2020 in Chennai due to COVID-19 complications. While there were demands that he must be honored with Bharat Ratna, the government has now conferred him with Padma Vibhushan. 

Solomon Papaiah - Padma Shri: 

84-year-old Papaiah is a household name across and beyond Tamil Nadu and he has been widely regarded as one of the most influential Tamil orators and scholars of all time. Papaiah, who started his career as a Tamil professor, has been well-known for moderating 'Patti Mandrams' during important festivals and holidays. He has also authored many books and he was awarded the Kalaimamani title by the Tamil Nadu government in 2000. He has now been conferred with the Padma Shri award by the President of India for his immense contribution to Literature, Education, and Journalism. 

Sridhar Vembu - Padma Shri: 

Being one of the leading entrepreneurs and business magnate in India, Sridhar Vembu, who is the founder and CEO of Zoho Corporation, has been conferred with the Padma Shri award in Trade and Industry. Vembu is the 59th richest Indian in the world and he is worth $2.5 billion as of 2020.  An alumnus of IIT Madras and Princeton University in New Jersey, US, Vembu has established what has now become an empire in the technological world. His Zoho Corporation has grown in the areas of software development, cloud computing, social networking services, Information Technology, and the Internet.

Dr. Thiruvengadam Veeraraghavan- Padma Shri: 

Popularly known as 'two rupees' doctor in Chennai, Thiruvengadam Veeraraghavan has been conferred with the Padma Shri award posthumously for his precious contribution to medicine. He was one of the inspirations behind actor Vijay's 'Mersal' movie and he has become an asset to Chennai and beyond. He did his medicine in a government college free of cost which inspired him to serve the poor for free in Vyasarpadi, Chennai. While he charged Rs 2 per patient for financial obligation, he was charging only Rs 5 until his death. He passed away at the age of 70 in August 2020. 

'Gear Man' P Subramanian - Padma Shri: 

Coimbatore's Gear Man Subramanian, who is known for founding Shanthi Gears and serving people till his last breath, has been awarded the Padma Shri Award posthumously for Trade and Industry. Under the banner of Shanthi Social Service, Subramanian had rendered selfless service for the poor and needy people. The trust runs a canteen, hospital, and a pharmacy, apart from the petrol pump, eye-care center, a blood bank, crematorium, and a diagnostic center. His trust has provided free food for over 300 senior citizens every day and Subramanian had kept a low profile but never compromised his social service. He passed away in December 2020 at the age of 78. 

Marachi Subburaman - Padma Shri: 

Another face from Tamil Nadu to decorate the Padma Awards, 71-year-old Marachi Subburaman has been working to alleviate open defecation for over two decades. A native of Trichy, Subburaman had set up an NGO named Society for Community Organization and People's Education (SCOPE) in 1986 with an aim to empower women and help people live and lead a comfortable life by working to improve their livelihoods. Her organization has been working towards ensuring that people have access to usable and clean toilets. Marachi Subburaman has been conferred with Padma Shri for social work. 

KC Sivasankar - Padma Shri: 

The Indian government has conferred Sivasankar with the Padma Shri award for Art to honor his contribution to bringing life to the fictional characters. Known as a legendary artist who spent over 60 years, his works were featured in the children's magazine Chandamma, which is also known as Ambulimama. He was also known for illustrating the Vikram Vetal series. He was born in Erode and passed away in Chennai in September 2020 at the age of 97. He has been awarded one of the highest civilian honors posthumously. 

Bombay Jayasri Ramnath - Padma Shri:

Jayasri Ramnath has been one of the reputed musicians in the country, better known for her work in classical. Born in Kolkata and raised in Mumbai, Ramnath was awarded the Kalaimamani award by the Tamil Nadu government in 2007 and she has also won the Tamil Nadu State film award for the best playback singer. Widely regarded as one of the best in Carnatic and Hindustani music, she had also sung for several music composers and she has now been conferred with Padma Shri. 

P Anitha - Padma Shri: 

35-year-old Anitha has now set a significant precedent for women across the nation after she has been picked as a recipient for the Padma Shri award. Anitha was captain of the Indian women's national basketball team and has a record of 30 medals in various national championships. Being the youngest captain for the national senior women's basketball team, she served the captaincy for eight years. She had participated in global events like the Asian and Commonwealth games. She has become one of the youngest Padma awardees in India and she has been awarded under the category of sports. 

Subbu Arumugam - Padma Shri: 

94-year-old Subbu Arumugam has been conferred with the Padma Shri award for his unparallel contribution to Villuppaatu, which is an ancient form of musical story-telling in India, particularly in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Born in Tirunelveli district, Subbu Arumugam was introduced to the ancient form of music when he was 17 by comedian NS Krishnan. Arumugam has also written comedy tracks and dialogues for several movies and he was awarded the Kalaimamani award in 2019 by the Tamil Nadu government and he has now been awarded the Padma Shri for his contribution to Arts. 

Pappammal - Padma Shri: 

105-year-old Pappammal has become the oldest living recipient for Padma Awards in 2021. A native of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, this centenarian has still been actively working and contributing to Agriculture and setting a role model for many generations. Being a trendsetter, her contribution has now been recognized nationally with the Padma Shri award in the category of Agriculture.