After Padma Awards were announced on Saturday, renowned playback singer Sonu Nigam took to Instagram and pointed out that legendary artists like Kishore Kumar, Alka Yagnik, Shreya Ghoshal, and Sunidhi Chauhan have not received Padma awards, which are among the highest civilian honours in the country.
Sonu Nigam on Kishore Kumar never receiving Padma Awards
Speaking passionately in the clip, Sonu highlighted the immense contributions of these artists. "Do aese singers hai jinhone poore duniya ke singers ko inspire kiya hai. Ek ko toh humne Padma Shri pe hi simtaa diya hai, woh hai Mohammed Rafi sahab. Aur ek hai jinko Padma Shri bhi naseeb nahi hua hai, Kishore Kumar ji. Posthumously award mil rahe hai na (There are two singers who have inspired singers all over the world. We have limited one of them with the Padma Shri award, that's Mohammad Rafi. The other one didn’t even get a Padma Shri, Kishore Kumar. Awards are being given posthumously, right)?"
Sonu on singers like Alka Yagnik, Shreya Ghoshal, Sunidhi Chauhan being missed out
He also mentioned contemporary singers who remain unrecognised despite their remarkable careers. "Aur jo hai bhi unme se Alka Yagnik ji, itna lamba aur kamaal ka career raha hai, unhe kuch nahi mila abhi tak. Shreya Ghoshal, bohut samay se apni kala ka loha banwa rahi hai. Unko bhi milna chahiye. Sunidhi Chauhan, unhone bhi ek poore generation ko inpire kiya hai apni alag si awaaz se. Unhe bhi kuch nahi mila abhi tak (Alka Yagnik has had an extraordinary career, yet she hasn’t been honoured. Shreya Ghoshal, who has been showcasing her exceptional talent for years, deserves the award. Sunidhi Chauhan has inspired a generation with her unique voice, but she too remains overlooked," Sonu added.
At the end of the video, Sonu urged his fans to identify deserving individuals across fields such as music, acting, science, and literature who are yet to be acknowledged with Padma awards. Captioning the video as "India and its pending Padma Awardees," Sonu’s message sparked widespread support.
With a career spanning decades, Sonu Nigam has lent his voice to over 10,000 songs in multiple languages, including Hindi, Kannada, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, and more. His vast repertoire and unmatched versatility have made him a household name in India and beyond.