A K C Natarajan
A Carnatic clarinet maestro from Tiruchirappalli, hailed as 'Clarionet Everest', who has performed since 1946, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2022.
- Padma Shri 2022
- Tamil Nadu
Heroes from Tamil Nadu
People from the state of Tamil Nadu whose work we have profiled.
Showing 1–24 of 57 heroes
Ajith Kumar
A Tamil film star known for his privacy and discipline, who has acted in films since 1992, honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 2025.
- Padma Bhushan 2025
- Tamil Nadu
Bombay Jayashri Ramnath
A Carnatic vocalist who also sings Hindustani music and ghazals, and earned an Oscar nomination for a song in Life of Pi, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2021.
- Padma Shri 2021
- Tamil Nadu
G. Natchiar
A founder member of Aravind Eye Hospitals who trained thousands of eye surgeons and rural eye-care workers, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2024.
- Padma Shri 2024
- Tamil Nadu
Gopalsamy Veluchamy
A Siddha physician who gathered over 1,500 palm-leaf manuscripts and led a national research council, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2023.
- Padma Shri 2023
- Tamil Nadu
Guruvayur Dorai
A mridangam maestro who created his own style and accompanied Carnatic legends for eight decades, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2025.
- Padma Shri 2025
- Tamil Nadu
H. V. Hande
A Chennai doctor treating poor patients since 1950 who, as Tamil Nadu health minister, backed polio drives, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2026.
- Padma Shri 2026
- Tamil Nadu
Joe D'Cruz
A novelist from a fishing family who writes about coastal life and won the Sahitya Akademi Award, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2024.
- Padma Shri 2024
- Tamil Nadu
Joshna Chinappa
A squash player who won a record 19 national titles, a Commonwealth Games gold and the Asian championship twice, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2024.
- Padma Shri 2024
- Tamil Nadu
K C Sivasankar
The Chandamama artist behind the Vikram and Vetal drawing, who illustrated the magazine for six decades, honoured posthumously with the Padma Shri in 2021.
- Padma Shri 2021 (posthumous)
- Tamil Nadu
K Kalyanasundaram Pillai
A Bharatanatyam guru from a Thanjavur family of dance masters who has taught for over seventy years, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2023.
- Padma Shri 2023
- Tamil Nadu
K. Damodaran
Chennai's Chef Damu, a cookery teacher with three Guinness records who trained 1.4 lakh school noon-meal cooks, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2025.
- Padma Shri 2025
- Tamil Nadu
K. Ramasamy
A microbiologist and former TNAU vice-chancellor whose waste-treatment work helped tanneries and sugar mills stay open, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2026.
- Padma Shri 2026
- Tamil Nadu
K. Vijay Kumar
A former CRPF chief who led the team that ended the hunt for Veerappan, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2026.
- Padma Shri 2026
- Tamil Nadu
Kallipatti Ramasamy Palaniswamy
A Chennai gastroenterologist who built the department at Stanley Medical College, honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 2026.
- Padma Bhushan 2026
- Tamil Nadu
Lakshmipathy Ramasubbaiyer
A Dinamalar newspaperman who rose from advertising executive to joint managing editor and founded colleges near Madurai, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2025.
- Padma Shri 2025
- Tamil Nadu
M. Badrappan
A Tamil Nadu folk-dance teacher who has spent five decades performing and teaching Valli Oyil Kummi, including to girls, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2024.
- Padma Shri 2024
- Tamil Nadu
M.D. Srinivas
A theoretical physicist and historian of Indian mathematics who chairs Chennai's Centre for Policy Studies, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2025.
- Padma Shri 2025
- Tamil Nadu
Marachi Subburaman
A sanitation pioneer whose NGO SCOPE has built over a lakh toilets and developed water-saving ecological toilets, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2021.
- Padma Shri 2021
- Tamil Nadu
Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti
The Chennai silk merchant who built his family sari shop into a giant of the trade, and author of 60 books, honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 2025.
- Padma Bhushan 2025
- Tamil Nadu
P Subramanian
The 'Gear Man of Coimbatore', who started Shanthi Gears in a rented shed, honoured posthumously with the Padma Shri in 2021.
- Padma Shri 2021 (posthumous)
- Tamil Nadu
P. Anitha
A Chennai basketball player who captained India at 19 and played for the national team for 18 years, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2021.
- Padma Shri 2021
- Tamil Nadu
Padma Subrahmanyam
A dancer and scholar who drew on the Natyashastra and temple sculpture to create the Bharatanrityam style, honoured with the Padma Vibhushan in 2024.
- Padma Vibhushan 2024
- Tamil Nadu
Palam Kalyana Sundaram
A retired Tamil Nadu librarian who gave away his salary for decades and founded the charity Anbu Paalam, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2023.
- Padma Shri 2023
- Tamil Nadu