Tushar Shukla
A Gujarati poet and songwriter, formerly of All India Radio, whose songs are used as anthems and taught in schools, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2025.
Tushar Shukla’s songs and poems are sung across Gujarat, from school assemblies to state celebrations. In 2025 he was named for the Padma Shri in the field of literature and education, from Gujarat [1].
A voice on the radio
Shukla was born on 29 June 1955 in Ahmedabad and studied Gujarati and English literature at Gujarat University [2]. He joined All India Radio as an announcer in 1979 and served it for 28 years, retiring early as station director in Rajkot to work full-time for the Gujarati language [2].
Poet of Gujarat
Since 2007 he has travelled to Gujarati communities around the world, from the US and UK to Australia and Africa, especially to help young people reconnect with their roots [2]. His poems serve as the anthems of several universities, and he has written theme songs for state events such as Gujarat Day and the Rann Utsav [2]. His songs are in Gujarat’s school textbooks [2].
He has also written scripts and songs for film and television, including Doordarshan films based on great Gujarati literary works, and won the Gujarat government’s best songwriter award for three films [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2025: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2025: citation for Tushar Shukla — Padma Awards, Government of India. Accessed 12 October 2026.
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