Sonu Nigam is never one to shy away from speaking out when he sees something wrong. This time, the renowned playback singer has spoken about the Central Government after they announced the Padma Awards 2025. The "Abhi Mujh Mein Kahin" singer, who was conferred with the Padma Shri title in 2022, pointed out how some of the biggest names in music, like Kishore Kumar and Mohammed Rafi are yet to receive recognition. This year, the government conferred Arjijt Singh with Padma Shri and late singer Sharda Sinha with Padma Vibhushan posthumously. Padma Awards 2025 Announced: Ajith Kumar Receives Padma Bhushan, Arijit Singh Honoured With Padma Shri, MT Vasudevan Nair and Sharda Sinha Posthumously Awarded Padma Vibhushan – See Full List of Awardees.

Sonu Nigam Raises Questions on Padma Awards

Taking to his Instagram handle on Monday (January 27), Sonu Nigam highlighted how legendary artistes like Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Shreya Ghoshal and Sunidhi Chauhan have not yet received the Padma Awards, which are one of the highest civilian honours in the country. Speaking about it, he said, "Do aise singers, jinhone pure diniya ke singers kosinpire kiya hai, ek ko to hamne Padmi Shri pe hi simtaa diya hai, wo hai Mohammed Rafi sahab. Aur ek hai jinko Padma Shri bhi naseeb nahi hua, Kishore Kumar ji." (There are two icons who have inspired many singers all over the world. We have limited one of them with Padma Shri, that's Mohammed Rafi, and the other one didn't even receive a Padma Shri, Kishore Kumar).

Sonu Nigam Lack of Padma Awards for Musical Greats

 

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Sonu Nigam also highlighted that few contemporary singers have remained unrecognised despite having a remarkable career. He said, "Alka Yagnik ji ka itna lambaa aur kamaal ka career raha hai, unhe kuch bhi nahi mila abhi take. Shreya Ghoshal bohot samay see apni kala ka loha banwa rahi hai, unhe kuch nahi mila abhi take. Sunidhi Chauhan ne ek pure generation ko inspire kiya hai apni alag see awaaz see, unhe bhi kuch nahi mila" (Alka Yagnik had an extraordinary career and is still not recognised. Shreya Ghoshal has also been showcasing her talents for quite some time now but hasn't received the honour yet. Sunidhi Chauhan, with her unique voice, inspired a whole generation but has gone unrecognised). Coldplay Mumbai Concert: Shreya Ghoshal Attends With Husband and Father, Says ‘Couldn’t Stop My Tears for Fix You’ (View Pics and Videos).

Sonu Nigam ended his video by urging his followers to identify deserving individuals from different fields, such as music, acting and literature, who are yet to be acknowledged for their contributions. The 51-year-old captioned his post, "India and it's pending Padma Awardees."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 27, 2025 12:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).