President of India, Smt. Draupadi Murmu has conferred the Padma Shri Awards to Prof. Vempaty Kutumba Sastry (Literature & Education category) and Shri Garimella Balakrishna Prasad (Posthumous) (Arts category) for excellence contribution in their fields, from Andhra Pradesh, in the Padma Awards - 2026 event held at Rashtrapati Bhavan today. On behalf of Shri Garimella Balakrishna Prasad, his son, Shri Garimella Anil Kumar, received the award from the President.

 

 

Shri Garimella Balakrishna Prasad (Posthumous)

 

Shri Garimella Balakrishna Prasad was a distinguished Indian classical and devotional vocalist, composer, and Vaggeyakara, renowned for his seminal role in reviving and popularizing the compositions of the 15th-century saint-poet Shri Tallapaka Annamacharya, bringing them vividly to life. He is widely regarded as the most prolific tunesmith of Annamacharya Sankeerthanams in modern times and a transformative spiritual figure in India’s devotional music tradition.

Born on 9^th November, 1948 in Andhra Pradesh, Shri Balakrishna Prasad received his foundational music training from his parents and further honed his craft under eminent maestros, notably Dr. Nedunuri Krishnamurthy. In 1978, he joined the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Annamacharya Project, where he served for nearly three decades. He continued his association with TTD in various capacities until the end of his life, including as Asthana Vidwan. Undeterred by challenges, he traveled extensively across India, performing tirelessly to propagate and popularize Annamacharya Sankeerthanams.

 

Over a career spanning six decades, Shri Balakrishna Prasad presented more than 6,000 concerts across India and internationally. Among his 2,500 musical works spanning more than 200 ragas, he composed music for over 1,000 Annamacharya Sankeerthanams, thereby transforming a largely manuscript-based tradition into a living devotional practice. A 21st-century Vaggeyakara, he created 22 new Indian classical ragas, and composed over 400 classical works, including kritis, varnams, and thillanas in Sanskrit and Telugu. He pioneered the concept of Sankeerthana Yagnam, week-long musical marathons featuring hundreds of devotional compositions. In 2009, he led over 1,60,000 singers at Hyderabad’s Parade Grounds during Lakshagalarchana, a Guinness World Record event.

 

Shri Balakrishna Prasad authored over 10 books containing musical notations of Annamacharya compositions and released more than 100 music albums, encompassing nearly 800 songs. He anchored several widely watched devotional television series that enabled systematic learning of classical and devotional music. He trained more than 50 students through the TTD Annamacharya Project, while lakhs of musicians worldwide regard him as their guru through self-study of his recordings and publications. Two doctoral dissertations were completed on his musical works. His interpretations also shaped the musical ethos of the acclaimed Telugu film Annamayya, influencing public engagement with Annamacharya’s legacy.

 

Shri Balakrishna Prasad received numerous awards and honours, including the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2020), the highest national recognition for performing artists. He was conferred Asthana Vidwan titles by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, Shri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, and Shri Ahobhila Mutt, among many other prestigious cultural institutions.

 

Shri Balakrishna Prasad passed away on 9th March, 2025. At the padma awards ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, his son, Shri Garimella Anil Kumar, received this prestigious award from the President on his behalf.

 

 

Prof. Vempaty Kutumba Sastry

 

Prof. Vempaty Kutumba Sastry is one of India's foremost Sanskrit scholars, a distinguished academic administrator, and an internationally respected authority in Advaita Vedanta, Darsanas, and Sanskrit poetics. He currently serves as Chancellor of Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Viswa Mahavidyalaya (SCSVMV), Kanchipuram, and holds the prestigious National Fellowship at the Indian Council of Philosophical Research (ICPR), New Delhi.

  

Born 12 August 1950 in Gudlavalleru, Andhra Pradesh, Prof. Sastry from an early age displayed exceptional promise in traditional learning. He underwent rigorous training in Rigveda at S.V. Vedapathasala, Tirumala, which laid a strong foundation in Vedic studies. He later pursued higher education in Sanskrit and Darshanas, earning the oriental titles Vidyapravina from Andhra University and Siromani from the University of Madras. He completed his Vidyavaridhi (Ph.D.) at Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, New Delhi, and further enriched his academic profile with an M.A. in Philosophy and a Postgraduate Diploma in Yoga from Sri Venkateswara University. He has also been conferred honorary doctorates (D.Litt) by S-VYASA University, Bangalore, and Kavikulaguru Kalidasa University, Ramtek.

 

Prof. Sastry has held several transformative leadership positions. He served as Vice-Chancellor of Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, Varanasi and Sree Somnath Sanskrit University, Gujarat, and was the founding Vice-Chancellor of Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan (now Central Sanskrit University). His tenure was marked by institution-building, curriculum innovation, and strengthening Sanskrit education at the national level. Internationally, he served two consecutive terms as President of the International Association of Sanskrit Studies, presiding over multiple World Sanskrit Conferences across Europe, Asia, and North America, thereby enhancing India's intellectual presence on the global stage.

A prolific scholar, Professor Sastry has authored and edited fifteen books and more than fifty research papers. His recent monograph, Tatparya: An Inter-Sastraic Study, published by the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, is widely regarded as a significant contribution to classical Indian philosophy and hermeneutics. He has guided numerous doctoral scholars, delivered hundreds of lectures, and organized major national and international academic forums dedicated to Sanskrit studies. Equally noteworthy is his pioneering initiative in Sanskrit pedagogy. The Samskrita-Svadhyayah selflearning material, developed under his leadership, has brought nearly two million people into the fold of Sanskrit learning and speaking. This innovative program has been adopted by universities and organizations across India and has inspired several adaptations, making Sanskrit accessible to diverse sections of society.

Prof. Sastry's contributions have been recognized through numerous honours, including the President of India's Certificate of Honour (2014), Mahakavi Kalidasa Sanskrit Sadhana Puraskar, Sanskrit Sahitya seva Samman, Vedavyas Puraskar, Lokamanya Tilak Sanskrit Puraskar, and several other awards from academic, cultural, and religious institutions. His unique ability to combine deep roots in traditional Vedic learning with modern critical scholarship has won him recognition from Shankaracharyas, Peethadhipatis, Mahamandaleshwaras, and the global Sanskrit fraternity alike. Through his scholarship, leadership, and outreach, he has advanced Sanskrit studies, inspired generations of scholars, and brought India's timeless knowledge systems closer to the world.

 

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