B Ramakrishna Reddy
A linguist who has documented endangered tribal languages such as Kuvi and Manda, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2023.
- Padma Shri 2023
- Mann Ki Baat #97
- Telangana
Heroes from Telangana
People from the state of Telangana whose work we have profiled.
Showing 1–24 of 24 heroes
Chandramouli Gaddamanugu
The DRDO scientist who worked on the Akash missile for 34 years, from its start to its induction in the armed forces, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2026.
- Padma Shri 2026
- Telangana
D. Nageshwar Reddy
A Hyderabad gastroenterologist who pioneered therapeutic endoscopy and founded AIG Hospitals, honoured with the Padma Vibhushan in 2025.
- Padma Bhushan 2016
- Padma Vibhushan 2025
- Telangana
Darshanam Mogilaiah
A Telangana folk singer who plays a 12-step kinnera of his own design and sings old ballads of kings, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2022.
- Padma Shri 2022
- Telangana
Dasari Kondappa
One of the last players of the burra veena, a Telangana folk instrument, who has kept its songs alive for 50 years, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2024.
- Padma Shri 2024
- Telangana
Deepika Reddy
A Kuchipudi dancer and teacher, the first woman to chair the Telangana Sangeet Natak Akademi, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2026.
- Padma Shri 2026
- Telangana
Gaddam Sammaiah
A Telangana Chindu Yakshagana artist who has given thousands of performances and trained hundreds of young folk artists, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2024.
- Padma Shri 2024
- Telangana
Guduru Venkat Rao
A Hyderabad surgeon at AIG Hospitals who has performed over 12,000 complex gut operations and pioneered scarless surgery, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2026.
- Padma Shri 2026
- Telangana
Hanumantha Rao Pasupuleti
A Hyderabad paediatrician who started a school for disabled children in his garage and built the Sweekaar academy; Padma Shri, 2023.
- Padma Shri 2023
- Telangana
Kamlesh D Patel
Daaji, the guide of the Heartfulness meditation movement and president of Shri Ram Chandra Mission, honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 2023.
- Padma Bhushan 2023
- Telangana
Kanaka Raju
A Gond master of the Gussadi dance from Marlavai who trained hundreds of young Adivasis for four decades, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2021.
- Padma Shri 2021
- Telangana
Kethavath Somlal
A Banjara writer and singer from Telangana who translated the Bhagavad Gita into the Lambadi language, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2024.
- Padma Shri 2024
- Telangana
Krishna Ella and Suchitra Ella
The founders of Bharat Biotech, makers of the Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin and the rotavirus vaccine Rotavac, jointly honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 2022.
- Padma Bhushan 2022
- Telangana
Krishnamurty Balasubramanian
The founding director of Hyderabad's NFTDC, which made materials for India's space missions, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2026.
- Padma Shri 2026
- Telangana
Kumarasamy Thangaraj
A CCMB geneticist whose work traced the Andamanese to early migrations out of Africa, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2026.
- Padma Shri 2026
- Telangana
Kurella Vittalacharya
A Telugu poet and retired teacher who turned his village home into a library of more than two lakh books, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2024.
- Padma Shri 2024
- Telangana
Manda Krishna Madiga
A Telangana activist who led a 30-year movement for sub-classification of Scheduled Castes, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2025.
- Padma Shri 2025
- Telangana
Modadugu Vijay Gupta
A fisheries scientist whose low-cost fish farming methods spread across Asia and Africa, and a World Food Prize winner, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2023.
- Padma Shri 2023
- Telangana
P. Vijay Anand Reddy
A Hyderabad oncologist at Apollo Cancer Centres who started the CURE Foundation to help poor cancer patients, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2026.
- Padma Shri 2026
- Telangana
Padmaja Reddy
A Kuchipudi dancer who has given over 3,000 shows and revived the medieval Kakatiyam dance from an old text, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2022.
- Padma Shri 2022
- Telangana
Rama Reddy Mamidi
A cooperative reformer who helped draft Andhra Pradesh's 1995 law giving cooperatives autonomy, honoured posthumously with the Padma Shri in 2026.
- Padma Shri 2026 (posthumous)
- Telangana
Ramachandraiah
A Koya folk singer who can sing the Sammakka-Sarakka tale for 24 hours in Telugu and Koya, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2022.
- Padma Shri 2022
- Telangana
Tridandi Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji
A Srivaishnava monk from Telangana whose organisations run free schools, health camps and relief work, honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 2023.
- Padma Bhushan 2023
- Telangana
Velu Anandachari
A master temple sculptor who worked on temples across the Telugu states, including the rebuilding of Yadadri, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2024.
- Padma Shri 2024
- Telangana