People, Positions and Obituaries · 14 March 2026

Krishnan Raghavan posthumously conferred Padma Shri.

Exam-focused facts from the 14 March 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

  • Krishnan Raghavan, pen-name 'Kitna', was posthumously awarded the Padma Shri for 2023.
  • He belonged to the Alu Kurumba tribal community, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) of the Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu.
  • The award recognised his role in reviving and popularising the 3,000-year-old Kurumba painting tradition.
  • Fewer than 10 indigenous Kurumba painters remain, with only three knowing the natural colour extraction techniques.

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