Defence Minister Rajnath Singh presented the inaugural Bhavya Bharat Bhushan Awards to a group of distinguished nation-builders during the Mahashivratri celebrations at the Isha Yoga Centre here.

The newly instituted awards recognise exceptional individuals across diverse fields, including science, arts, sports, and military service, for their contributions to India’s progress.

The awards were instituted by the Isha Foundation.

The defence minister said, “Alongside the distinguished stalwarts from these domains who were conferred this honour, three institutions of our Armed Forces were also facilitated in recognition of the remarkable success of Operation Sindoor. These are Western Air Command, Army’s Southern Command and Western Naval Command. Personally, this filled me with great joy and a deep sense of pride.”

Noting that culture and science are often seen as separate from one another, he said in India they have always been complementary. “Culture is not merely a set of rituals, it is our way of life,” he said on Sunday.

Isha Foundation founder and spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev said the awards will be declared annually across seven key categories, including corporate, science and technology, sports and culture.

Among the prominent recipients of the 2026 awards in the science and technology category were Nambi Narayan and Kiran Kumar for their contributions to advancing India’s technological frontiers.

In the field of arts and culture, the honours were conferred upon classical dancer Alarmel Valli, legendary violinist N Rajam, and historian Vikram Sampath.

Badminton icon Saina Nehwal was also recognised for her achievements in sports.

A special recognition was extended to the Indian Armed Forces for their service in Operation Sindoor.

Representatives from the three wings of the military were honoured, including Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra of the Western Air Command, Lt Gen A V S Rathee of the Southern Command, and Vice Admiral R V Gokhale of the Western Naval Command. This category paid tribute to the dual role of humanitarian service and decisive action displayed by the forces.

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source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)