Indian singers KS Chithra, SP Balasubramanyam given civilian honours
Late singer SPB, who died of COVID-19 complications, was conferred a Padma Vibhushan
Legendary singer SP Balasubramanyam, who died last year following COVID-19 complications, was conferred the Padma Vibhushan posthumously on January 25.
The prolific star, who sang in multiple languages including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada, was no stranger to awards glory. Ten years ago, he was conferred the Padma Bhushan honour, but the Padma Vibhushan is far more prestigious being the second-highest civilian award given by the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna.
SPB, as he was fondly called, crooned more that 40,000 songs across his career.
The Padma awards are always announced on the eve of India’s Republic Day.
Singer KS Chithra, who has won the Indian National Award multiple times, was also honoured with the Padma Bhushan this year.
Another singer who was honoured was Bombay Jayashri Ramnath with a Padma Shri.
These titles are awarded for a varying range of distinguished service across fields.