Sonu Nigam’s impassioned plea on social media reignites debate about Padma Awards selection criteria, urging recognition for legendary singers Alka Yagnik, Shreya Ghoshal, Sunidhi Chauhan, and the late Kishore Kumar.
BeatCurry Team
Legendary singer Sonu Nigam has ignited a debate in India by expressing his disappointment over the Padma Awards selection process. Nigam specifically questioned the exclusion of late legendary singers like Mohd. Rafi (who was only awarded the Padma Shri), Kishore Kumar, and including the current music icons like Alka Yagnik, Shreya Ghoshal, Sunidhi Chauhan, and even Kishore Kumar from the prestigious award ceremony.
In a video shared on Instagram, Nigam called attention to the immense contributions of these singers to the Indian music scene. He lamented that Kishore Kumar, a singer whose voice dominated the 1990s, had not even been posthumously awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award in India. Nigam contrasted this with the posthumous awarding of Padma Awards in 2025.
Nigam further argued that prominent contemporary singers like Alka Yagnik, Shreya Ghoshal, and Sunidhi Chauhan deserved recognition for their long and successful careers. Yagnik, for instance, boasts an exceptional career spanning decades. Shreya Ghoshal, another powerhouse vocalist, has consistently impressed audiences with her talent for years. Sunidhi Chauhan’s unique voice has resonated with a generation of listeners, establishing her as a beloved figure in Indian music.
Nigam’s video, captioned “India and its Pending Padma Awardees,” sparked a national conversation about the Padma Awards selection process. Many social media users echoed Nigam’s sentiments, expressing their belief that the aforementioned singers were highly deserving of the Padma Awards.
Sonu Nigam took to social media to say, “Do aise 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. 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, bahut samay se apni kala ka loha manwa rahi hai. Unko bhi milna chahiye. Sunidhi Chauhan, unhone bhi ek poore generation ko inspire kiya hai apni alag si awaaz se. Unhe bhi kuch nahi mila abhi tak.”
Sonu Nigam, Padma Shri recipient (2022), is now calling on fans to identify individuals who are yet to receive the prestigious award. His post, “India and its pending Padma Awardees,” suggests he believes many deserving people are still waiting to be recognized. Sonu Nigam has sung over 10,000 songs, mainly in Hindi but he has also lent his voice in Kannada, Odia, Bengali, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Nepali, Malayalam, Kannada, Bhojpuri, and other Indian languages.
All information and images sourced from various platforms purely for factual reporting purposes only.
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