Teejan Bai is an exponent of Pandavani, a traditional performing art form, from Chhattisgarh, in which she enacts tales from the Mahabharata, with musical accompaniments.
Wajahat Hussain Mirza Changezi was an Indian screenwriter and film director who penned the dialogues of some of the most successful films in India during the 1950s and 1960s, best known for Mughal-e-Azam (1960) and the Academy Award nominee, Mother India (1957).
Dr. Yogesh Praveen was an Indian author and expert on the history and culture of Avadh, specifically Lucknow. He had a Masters in Hindi and Sanskrit in addition to a doctorate in Literature from Meerut University.
Sunita Kohli is an Indian interior designer, architectural restorer and furniture manufacturer. She had restored and decorated Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House Colonnade (1985–1989), the Prime Minister's Office and Hyderabad House in New Delhi.
Malini Awasthi is an Indian singer, more commonly referred to as Folk Queen of India. Having been trained classically, she is equally adept in various forms of Hindustani music like vintage Dadra Thumri Kajri Chaiti etc. Her colossal knowledge of music finds a reflection in her renditions of Ghazals and Sufiyaana Kalaams too. A Ganda-baandh disciple of Padma Vibhushan Vidushi Girija Devi, she is a connoisseur of 'Chaumukhi gayan' of Benares Gharana. She commands equally over multiple dialects like Awadhi, Bhojpuri, Bundeli, and Braj.
Acharya Chandana, known as Tai Maharaj by her devotees, is an Indian Jain nun of the Amarmuni Sampradaya. Chandana is the first Jain sadhvi to be awarded the title of Acharya and the Padma Shri. Chandana is known for her social engagement and for popularising the notion of 'seva' among the Jain community. She is the founder of Veerayatan, a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Rajgir with centers in over ten countries.
Usha Kiran Khan was an Indian writer who worked in the Hindi and Maithili languages. She was also an academic historian.
Laila Tyabji is an Indian social worker, designer, writer, and craft activist. She is one of the founders of Dastkar, a Delhi-based non governmental organization, working for the revival of traditional crafts in India. She was honored by the Government of India in 2012 with the Indian civilian award of Padma Shri. She is the daughter of late Badruddin Tyabji, ICS, who was a senior Indian civil servant and diplomat.
Jeelani Bano is an Indian writer and novelist. She writes in Urdu, Hindi, Gujarati and Telugu languages. She received the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri in 2001.
Roshan Kumari Fakir Mohammad is an Indian classical dancer, actor and choreographer, considered by many as one of the foremost exponents of the Indian classical dance form of Kathak. She follows the Jaipur Gharana and is the founder of Nritya Kala Kendra, Mumbai, an academy promoting Kathak. A recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1975, she received the fourth highest Indian civilian honour of Padma Shri from the Government of India in 1984.
Runa Banerjee is an Indian social worker and the co-founder of the Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA), Lucknow, a non governmental organization promoting the interests of the poor working women of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, where she serves as the General Secretary and the Chief executive officer. She was one among the PeaceWomen Across the Globe who were collectively nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005, which was eventually won by Mohamed ElBaradei. The Government of India awarded her the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2007, for her contributions to Indian society.
Soniya Nityanand is an Indian immunologist specialising in hematology. She did her graduation and post graduation both from King George's Medical College, Lucknow. She later went on to pursue her PhD in Immunology from Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden in 1996.
Godawari Dutta was an Indian painter, known for her Madhubani paintings. She was a recipient of India's fourth highest civilian award, the Padma Shri.
Leela Joshi is an Indian gynaecologist and social worker known for her work for the welfare of tribal women and teenage girls suffering from Anemia in Ratlam district. She has been nicknamed Mother Teresa of Madhya Pradesh and received Padma Shri in 2020.
Shri Gaurav Khanna is an Indian para-badminton team's head coach. Khanna has been widely recognized as the man behind the rise of para-badminton in the country. Khanna encountered several trials and tribulations during his youth and early life, but his desire propelled him onward, and despite all obstacles, he emerged as a selfless individual driven to make a positive difference in the lives of others. His chronicle of battles that led to him becoming a role model for society is also included in the National Geographic documentary series #One For Change and Samarth Series by Hundai in association with NDTV.
Lalita Vakil is an Indian embroidery artist, known for her contributions to the preservation and promotion of Chamba Rumal, a traditional form of handkerchief embroidery from Chamba district in Himachal Pradesh.
Vidya Vindu Singh is an Indian author in Hindi and Awadhi languages. She is best known for her broad work in folk and children's literature. Singh has been awarded Padma Shri in 2022 by the Government of India for her contributions in the field of literature & education.
Ajita Srivastava is an Indian singer, educationist and a social worker. Srivastava is known for popularizing and promoting the Kajari folk songs, a popular form of folk music from Mirzapur and the surrounding region. She was awarded Padma Shri in 2022 by the Government of India for her contributions in the field of arts.
Ram Sahay Panday is a Rai dancer from Sagar in the Indian State of Madhya Pradesh. The Rai dance was traditionally associated with the Bedia community which itself was associated with flesh trade. In spite of the fact that he was not a member of the community, he devoted his whole life to the practice and performance of the Rai dance and to secure acceptance and respectability to the dance form. His untiring efforts helped obtain national and international recognition to this dance form.
Takdira Begum a recipient of the Padma Shri award from Bolpur, Birbhum in West Bengal, is known for her contributions to the traditional craft of Nakshi Kantha embroidery.
