List of Padma Bhushan award recipients (1980–1989)


The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award of the Republic of India. Instituted on 2January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service of a high order", without distinction of race, occupation, position, or sex. The recipients receive a Sanad, a certificate signed by the President of India and a circular-shaped medallion with no monetary association. The recipients are announced every year on Republic Day and registered in The Gazette of Indiaa publication used for official government notices and released weekly by the Department of Publication, under the Ministry of Urban Development. The conferral of the award is not considered official without its publication in the Gazette. The name of recipient, whose award have been revoked or restored, both of which require the authority of the President, is archived and they are required to surrender their medal when their name is struck from the register; none of the conferments of Padma Bhushan during 1980–1989 have been revoked or restored. The recommendations are received from all the state and the union territory governments, as well as from Ministries of the Government of India, the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan awardees, the Institutes of Excellence, the Ministers, the Chief Ministers and the Governors of State, and the Members of Parliament including private individuals.
When instituted in 1954, the Padma Bhushan was classified as "Dusra Warg" under the three-tier Padma Vibhushan awards, which were preceded by the Bharat Ratna in hierarchy. On 15January 1955, the Padma Vibhushan was reclassified into three different awards as the Padma Vibhushan, the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Shri. The criteria included "distinguished service of a high order in any field including service rendered by Government servants", but excluded those working with the public sector undertakings with the exception of doctors and scientists. The 1954 statutes did not allow posthumous awards; this was subsequently modified in the January 1955 statute. The design was also changed to the form that is currently in use; it portrays a circular-shaped toned bronze medallion in diameter and thick. The centrally placed pattern made of outer lines of a square of side is embossed with a knob carved within each of the outer angles of the pattern. A raised circular space of diameter is placed at the centre of the decoration. A centrally located lotus flower is embossed on the obverse side of the medal and the text "Padma" is placed above and the text "Bhushan" is placed below the lotus written in Devanagari script. The State Emblem of India is displayed in the centre of the reverse side, together with the national motto of India, "Satyameva Jayate" in Devanagari script, which is inscribed on the lower edge. The rim, the edges and all embossing on either side is of standard gold with the text "Padma Bhushan" of gold gilt. The medal is suspended by a pink riband in width with a broad white stripe in the middle. It is ranked fifth in the order of precedence of wearing of medals and decorations of the Indian civilian and military awards.
After assuming office as Prime Minister of India in 1977, Morarji Desai withdrew all the civilian awards, reckoning them as "worthless and politicized". As a result, the Padma Bhushan award was not conferred to any person from 1978 until 1980 when the suspension was rescinded on 25January by Indira Gandhi, Desai's predecessor who had returned to office. Cricketer Sunil Gavaskar became the first recipient of the award since its restoration in 1980; he was the only person awarded in that year.
A total of 133 awards were presented in the 1980s. Only one award was conferred in 1980 which was later followed by nine in 1981, fifteen in 1982, seventeen in both 1983 and 1984, twenty-one in 1985, fourteen in 1986, twelve in 1987, thirteen in 1988, and fourteen in 1989. The Padma Bhushan in the 1980s was also conferred upon ten foreign recipients four from the United Kingdom, three from the United States, and one each from Denmark, France, and Japan. Individuals from nine different fields were awarded, which include twenty-eight from literature and education, twenty-five from civil services, twenty-three artists, nineteen from science and engineering, thirteen from medicine, ten from public affairs, eight from social work, four from trade and industry, and three from sportspersons. Pushpa Mittra Bhargava, scientist and founder-director of Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology who had received the award in 1986 in the field of medicine, returned it in 2015 in protest of the Dadri mob lynching and out of concern at the "prevailing socio-politico situation" in the country.

Recipients




YearRecipientFieldState
1980SportsMaharashtra
1981Science & EngineeringTamil Nadu
1981MedicineMaharashtra
1981Social WorkBihar
1981Civil ServiceDelhi
1981Literature & EducationOrissa
1981Civil ServiceWest Bengal
1981Literature & EducationUttar Pradesh
1981ArtsWest Bengal
1981Social WorkMaharashtra
1982MedicineDelhi
1982ArtsTamil Nadu
1982Social WorkAndhra Pradesh
1982Social WorkNagaland
1982ArtsMaharashtra
1982Literature & Education
1982MedicineMaharashtra
1982Science & EngineeringDelhi
1982MedicineDelhi
1982Civil ServiceDelhi
1982MedicineTamil Nadu
1982MedicineMaharashtra
1982Literature & EducationUttar Pradesh
1982Literature & EducationRajasthan
1982Science & EngineeringDelhi
1983Arts
1983ArtsKarnataka
1983ArtsWest Bengal
1983Civil ServiceDelhi
1983Literature & EducationDelhi
1983Civil ServiceKerala
1983ArtsKerala
1983Social Work
1983ArtsKarnataka
1983Literature & EducationMaharashtra
1983Civil ServiceGoa
1983Literature & EducationWest Bengal
1983Civil ServiceDelhi
1983Science & EngineeringDelhi
1983Literature & EducationAssam
1983SportsDelhi
1983Civil ServicePunjab
1984Literature & Education
1984Literature & EducationUttar Pradesh
1984SportsMaharashtra
1984ArtsTamil Nadu
1984ArtsWest Bengal
1984Literature & EducationAndhra Pradesh
1984Literature & EducationKarnataka
1984ArtsAndhra Pradesh
1984Literature & EducationUttar Pradesh
1984ArtsMadhya Pradesh
1984Literature & Education
1984MedicineWest Bengal
1984Science & EngineeringMaharashtra
1984Civil ServiceDelhi
1984Literature & EducationPunjab
1984ArtsMaharashtra
1984Literature & EducationUttar Pradesh
1985Literature & EducationDelhi
1985Public AffairsWest Bengal
1985Literature & EducationWest Bengal
1985Science & EngineeringGujarat
1985Science & EngineeringDelhi
1985Civil ServiceDelhi
1985ArtsWest Bengal
1985Civil ServiceDelhi
1985ArtsMaharashtra
1985Public AffairsWest Bengal
1985ArtsTamil Nadu
1985Science & Engineering
1985Literature & EducationKerala
1985Social WorkTamil Nadu
1985Science & EngineeringKarnataka
1985Literature & EducationAndhra Pradesh
1985Civil ServiceRajasthan
1985Literature & EducationPuducherry
1985Literature & EducationPunjab
1985Science & EngineeringMaharashtra
1985Civil ServiceDelhi
1986Civil ServiceDelhi
1986MedicineAndhra Pradesh
1986Social WorkGujarat
1986Civil ServiceDelhi
1986ArtsWest Bengal
1986Civil ServiceDelhi
1986Public Affairs
1986Science & Engineering
1986Civil ServiceDelhi
1986Public AffairsDelhi
1986Science & EngineeringTamil Nadu
1986MedicineDelhi
1986Civil ServiceWest Bengal
1986Public AffairsUttar Pradesh
1987Literature & EducationKerala
1987ArtsMaharashtra
1987Civil ServiceDelhi
1987ArtsWest Bengal
1987Science & EngineeringKarnataka
1987Civil ServiceMaharashtra
1987Literature & EducationWest Bengal
1987Civil ServiceMaharashtra
1987Science & EngineeringMaharashtra
1987Civil ServiceDelhi
1987MedicineMaharashtra
1987Civil ServiceDelhi
1988Public AffairsDelhi
1988Science & EngineeringChandigarh
1988Literature & EducationDelhi
1988Trade & IndustryMaharashtra
1988Civil ServiceDelhi
1988Social WorkMaharashtra
1988ArtsOrissa
1988Literature & EducationDelhi
1988ArtsAndhra Pradesh
1988MedicineAndhra Pradesh
1988Public AffairsWest Bengal
1988Science & EngineeringMaharashtra
1988Trade & IndustryUttar Pradesh
1989Public Affairs
1989MedicineMaharashtra
1989ArtsUttar Pradesh
1989ArtsMaharashtra
1989Literature & EducationDelhi
1989Civil ServiceMaharashtra
1989Science & EngineeringRajasthan
1989Science & EngineeringDelhi
1989Trade & IndustryJharkhand
1989Trade & IndustryMaharashtra
1989Science & EngineeringDelhi
1989Public Affairs
1989Public AffairsMaharashtra
1989MedicineDelhi

Explanatory notes

;Foreign recipients