Padma Bhushan award is considered as the third highest civilian award of India. The award is announced at the occasion of Republic Day every year and is presented by the President of India. The year 1954 marks the commencement of this award with the aim of honouring the extraordinary services of some of the distinct personalities of the country. In the year 2012, 27 personalities from different fields were honoured with this award.

Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi is a prominent and greatly acclaimed Indian movie actress. She started her career in 1974 and soon emerged as a leading actress of parallel cinema. This great actress has proved her excellent acting skills through a number of genres that she performed in different movies. In 2012, she was awarded with Padma Bhushan for her contributions in the film arena.

Buddhadev Das Gupta
Buddhadev Das Gupta is a renowned Indian classical musician who excels in the field of Sarod. He owns the fame of doing more than 17 national programs in All India Radio, which is a rare scenario. This Sarod maestro was offered the award of Padma Shri but he refused it as he stated that it was too late. In 2012, however, he was honoured with Padma Bhushan.

Devi Prasad Shetty
Devi Prasad Shetty is a cardiac surgeon and an Indian philanthropist. He has performed more than 15,000 heart surgeries. His invaluable contribution in the field of affordable healthcare earned him the third highest civilian award of India in 2012.

2012 Padma Bhushan Awardees