11 Telugu Icons Honored with Padma Shri for Science, Arts & Service

Seven individuals from Telangana and four from Andhra Pradesh have been selected by the Government of India for one of the highest civilian awards.

Chandramouli Gaddamanugu (Telangana) is a visionary aerospace engineer who directed the Akash Missile System from development to deployment in Operation Sindoor. He advanced national security through path-breaking research.

Maganti Murali Mohan is one of the veteran actors of Tollywood. Hailing from Andhra Pradesh, he acted in or produced more than 350 films in 60 years. He is also known for his extensive charitable contributions in health and education.

Rajendra Prasad, who hails from Andhra Pradesh, is a veteran actor of Telugu films. In a career spanning five decades, he has acted in over 240 films.

Deepika Reddy (Telangana) is a celebrated Kuchipudi dancer and global cultural ambassador with a five-decade career. She elevated Indian classical dance worldwide.

Garimella Balakrishna Prasad (Andhra Pradesh) has been conferred Padma Shri posthumously. He was an illustrious classical vocalist, composer, and writer titled 'Asthana Vidhwan'. He set tunes to a large number of Annamacharya Sankeerthanas, created new ragas and performed over 5,000 concerts.

Guduru Venkat Rao (Telangana) has been awarded Padma Shri for his contributions in the field of medicine. A prolific gastroenterologist, he performed over 12,000 surgeries and 16,000 endoscopies. He is the first to perform a Transoral Endoscopic Appendectomy. He also contributed in development of a 'macro-encapsulation device' for diabetes.

Krishnamurty Balasubramanian (Telangana) is a prominent material scientist specialising in critical minerals. He revolutionised India's defence and space capabilities, developed prosthetic implants and cryogenic engine materials. He advanced electric mobility, biomedical devices and metallurgical innovation.

Kumarasamy Thangaraj of CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, is a path-breaking geneticist best known for his work on genetics and genomics. His research work is foundational to Indian population science, tracing genetic origins and migration patterns of Indian populations and providing an alternate hypothesis on ancient India.

Palkonda Vijay Anand Reddy (Telangana) is a renowned oncologist. He performed the first 'Perioperative Brain Interstitial Implant'. He also introduced Hypo-fractionated Radiotherapy and Short-course Radiation for cancer treatment. He is the founder of the CURE Foundation.

Pioneering social worker Rama Reddy Mamidi (Telangana) has been conferred the Padma Shri posthumously. He established Women's Dairy Cooperative, strengthened rural cooperatives, empowered women and shaped national cooperative laws.

Vempaty Kutumba Sastry (Andhra Pradesh) is a prominent Sanskrit scholar and visionary administrator. He devoted five decades to advancing the language on the global stage. Sastry led multiple Sanskrit universities, authored landmark books and papers.

- IANS