He's now Padma Shri Ricky Kej! After receiving the state honour, Kej tells us that it's been like a dream come true. “The most prestigious awards that I had won before this were the three Grammys.

This year’s list includes 7 Padma Vibhushan, 19 Padma Bhushan, and 113 Padma Shri awards. Among the awardees, 23 are women, while 10 belong to the category of Foreigners, NRIs, PIOs, and OCIs.