Family, disciples of late folk dancer Vishwa Bandhu happy with his selection for Padma Shri

Family members and students of Bihar’s iconic folk dancer Vishwa Bandhu on Monday, January 26, 2026, expressed their happiness over his posthumous conferment of the Padma Shri award.

Bandhu is one of the three people from Bihar whose names have been announced by the Central government for the Padma Awards.

Arpana Kumari, Vishwa Bandhu’s youngest daughter, said, “We are extremely happy that the Padma Shree Award was conferred on him posthumously. It would have been wonderful if this had happened during his lifetime.” PTI.

Full list of Padma Awards 2026

“He had devoted his whole life to art… he was hoping for that recognition,” he said.

Kumari said she took up folk dance “at a very young age” at a time when it was difficult for boys to choose dance as a career.

Vishwa Bandhu’s disciple Jitendra Kumar Chaurasia said, “My dream has come true with this award. It was my sincere wish that he should receive this. This feels like our own achievement, an achievement for the art world of Bihar.” Chaurasia maintained that Vishwa Bandhu provides a modern twist to the traditional folk dances of Bihar.

“He added creativity and innovation to the traditional dance forms of Bihar, giving them a new dimension that became hugely popular among the masses,” Chaurasia said.

A pioneer of Bihar’s folk dance tradition, Bandhu has enthralled audiences with his over 6,000 performances and played an important role in empowering rural communities by offering free training.

Agricultural scientist Gopalji Trivedi and Bhojpuri folk singer Bharat Singh Bharti were the other two recipients of the country’s fourth highest civilian award from the state.