List of Padma Bhushan award recipients (1954–1959)
Introduction 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 (26January) and registered in ''The Gazette of India''a 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 The name of recipient, whose award have been revoked or restored, both of which require the authority of the President, is  archived and they are required to surrender their medal when their name is struck from the register; none of the conferments of Padma Bhushan during 1954–1959 have been revoked or restored.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 Varg" (Class II) under the three-tier Padma Vibhushan awards, which were preceded by the Bharat Ratna in hierarchy. The original specification of the award was a circle made of standard silver  in diameter, with rims on both the sides. A centrally located lotus flower was embossed on the obverse side of the medal and the text "Padma Vibhushan" written in Devanagari script was inscribed above the lotus along the upper edge of the medal. A floral wreath was embossed along the lower edge and a lotus wreath at the top along the upper edge. The State Emblem of India was placed in the centre of the reverse side with the text "Desh Seva" in Devanagari Script on the lower edge. The medal was suspended by a pink riband  in width divided into three equal segments by two white vertical lines.On 15January 1955, the Padma Vibhushan was reclassified into three different awards; the Padma Vibhushan, the highest of the three, followed by the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Shri. The criteria includes "distinguished service of a high order in any field including service rendered by Government servants" but excluding those working with the Public sector undertakings with the exception of doctors and scientists. The 1954 statutes did not allow posthumous awards but this was subsequently modified in the January 1955 statute. The design was also modified to the form that is currently in use. The current design is 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 embossed 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" written in Devanagari script is placed above and the text "Bhushan" is placed below the lotus. The Emblem of India is placed in the centre of the reverse side with the national motto of India, "Satyameva Jayate" (Truth alone triumphs) in Devanagari Script, 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.A total of twenty-three awards were conferred in 1954 followed by twelve in 1955; thirteen in 1956; sixteen in 1957; sixteen again in 1958, and fourteen in 1959, giving a total of 94 recipients in the first six years—including one foreign recipient awarded in 1955.Till 1959, individuals from nine different fields were awarded which includes twenty-six from literature and education, seventeen from civil service, twelve artists, ten from science and engineering, ten from social work, eight from public affairs, six from medicine, four sportspersons, and one from trade and industry.
Recipients Homi J. Bhabha (awarded in 1954), the "father of the Indian bomb", was a nuclear physicist and the founding director of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and the Trombay Atomic Energy Establishment (later named after him).Dhyan Chand (awarded in 1956) was a field hockey player and scored more than 1000 goals during his career spanned over 20 years from 1926–1948.Rukmini Devi Arundale (awarded in 1956) was a theosophist and Bharata Natyam dancer. "Riyasatkar" historian Govind Sakharam Sardesai (awarded in 1957) wrote eight volumes of "Marathi Riyasat", three volumes of "Musalmani Riyasat", and two volumes of "British Riyasat".The "Birdman of India" Salim Ali (awarded in 1958) was an ornithologist, naturalist, and was one of the founding members of Bombay Natural History Society.Rao Raja Hanut Singh (awarded in 1958) was an "Honorary Captain" in the British Indian Army  and polo player.Often described as "the founding father of modern Tamil theatre", Pammal Sambandha Mudaliar (awarded in 1959) was a playwright, director, producer, and actor.Tenzing Norgay (right, awarded in 1959) was one of the first two individuals known to reach the summit of Mount Everest, which he accomplished with Edmund Hillary (left) on 29 May 1953.++ List of Padma Bhushan award recipients, showing the year, field, and state/country Year Recipient Field State1954  Science & Engineering  Maharashtra1954  Science & Engineering  Uttar Pradesh1954  Civil Service  Odisha1954  Science & Engineering  West Bengal1954  Civil Service  Delhi1954  Literature & Education  Uttar Pradesh1954  Civil Service  Punjab1954  Literature & Education  Uttar Pradesh1954  Science & Engineering  Delhi1954  Science & Engineering  Tamil Nadu1954  Literature & Education  Uttar Pradesh1954  Literature & Education  Delhi1954  Public Affairs  Gujarat1954  Literature & Education  Kerala1954  Literature & Education  Tamil Nadu1954  Public Affairs  Punjab1954  Civil Service  Karnataka1954  Civil Service  Andhra Pradesh1954  Arts  West Bengal1954  Civil Service  West Bengal1954  Medicine  Uttar Pradesh1954  Arts  Tamil Nadu1954  Civil Service  Karnataka1955  Civil Service  Punjab1955  Medicine  West Bengal1955  Literature & Education  West Bengal1955  Social Work  West Bengal1955  Civil Service  1955  Medicine  Maharashtra1955  Civil Service  Punjab1955  Social Work  Uttar Pradesh1955  Literature & Education  Odisha1955  Social Work  Andhra Pradesh1955  Literature & Education  Delhi1955  Civil Service  Tamil Nadu1956  Arts  Tamil Nadu1956  Literature & Education  West Bengal1956  Sports  Punjab1956  Civil Service  Tamil Nadu1956  Public Affairs  Telangana1956  Public Affairs  Maharashtra1956  Sports  Tamil Nadu1956  Medicine  Tamil Nadu1956  Civil Service  Rajasthan1956  Literature & Education  Punjab1956  Literature & Education  Punjab1956  Literature & Education  Uttar Pradesh1956  Science & Engineering  Tamil Nadu1957  Literature & Education  Uttar Pradesh1957  Arts  Tamil Nadu1957  Social Work  Tamil Nadu1957  Literature & Education  Uttar Pradesh1957  Literature & Education  Uttar Pradesh1957  Arts  Madhya Pradesh1957  Public Affairs  Kerala1957  Public Affairs  West Bengal1957  Civil Service  Kerala1957  Social Work  Andhra Pradesh1957  Arts  Uttar Pradesh1957  Literature & Education  Bihar1957  Literature & Education  Maharashtra1957  Literature & Education  Tamil Nadu1957  Science & Engineering  West Bengal1957  Literature & Education  Chandigarh1958  Science & Engineering  Maharashtra1958  Sports  Uttar Pradesh1958  Arts  West Bengal1958  Trade & Industry  Maharashtra1958  Social Work  Karnataka1958  Arts  Tamil Nadu1958  Arts  Uttar Pradesh1958  Civil Service  Kerala1958  Civil Service  Kerala1958  Literature & Education  Karnataka1958  Literature & Education  Rajasthan1958  Social Work  Delhi1958  Public Affairs  Rajasthan1958  Medicine  Maharashtra1958  Literature & Education  Madhya Pradesh1958  Science & Engineering  Maharashtra1959  Arts  West Bengal1959  Literature & Education  Bihar1959  Civil Service  Maharashtra1959  Social Work  Maharashtra1959  Arts  Tamil Nadu1959  Literature & Education  Tamil Nadu1959  Sports  West Bengal1959  Social Work  Maharashtra1959  Medicine  Maharashtra1959  Social Work  Maharashtra1959  Literature & Education  West Bengal1959  Arts  Karnataka1959  Public Affairs  Maharashtra1959  Science & Engineering  Telangana
Explanatory notes
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