CHENNAI: Two senior Carnatic musicians have been selected for the prestigious Padma awards this year. Mridagnam artiste T.V. Gopalakrishnan and Violinist M.S. Gopalakrishnan have been chosen for Padma Bhushan award. Gundecha brothers - Ramakant and Umakant - have been chosen for Padma Shri award. The brothers are well-known Dhrupad artistes.

The list of Padma awardees is announced in New Delhi on Wednesday. The President of India approved the conferment of109 Padma awards this year. These comprise 5 Padma Vibhushan, 27 Padma Bhushan and 77 Padma Shri Awards. There are 19 ladies among the awardees. Padma awards, the country’s highest civilian awards, are conferred in three categories - Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. The awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year. The awards are conferred by the President of India at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhawan sometime around March/ April.