Union Labour and Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday, 25 May 2026 congratulated K. Pajanivel on being conferred the Padma Shri award, recognising his lifelong dedication to reviving Silambam, the ancient Tamil martial art of stick-fighting.

Context

In his post on X, Minister Mandaviya wrote: 'Congratulations to Shri K. Pajanivel on being conferred Padma Shri award for his dedication to reviving the ancient martial art form of Silambam,' tagging the tribute under the hashtag #PeoplesPadma. The Padma Shri is the fourth-highest civilian honour of the Republic of India, awarded annually for distinguished service across arts, sports, culture, and other fields. The hashtag #PeoplesPadma signals the government's framing of such awards as recognition emerging from grassroots contributions rather than elite institutions.

K. Pajanivel is a Tamil Nadu-based practitioner credited with sustained efforts to keep Silambam alive as a living discipline. Silambam is a traditional stick-fighting martial art with roots in Tamil Nadu, recognised as part of India's intangible cultural heritage.

Policy Backdrop

The recognition of Pajanivel fits within a broader policy direction that successive central governments have pursued since 2014 — expanding formal honours and sports schemes to cover practitioners of regional martial arts and indigenous games that were previously outside mainstream recognition frameworks. The Khelo India programme, launched in 2017, explicitly includes support for indigenous martial arts and traditional games. The Fit India Movement, announced in 2019, similarly promotes the revival and popularisation of indigenous physical disciplines, including Silambam.

These policy instruments have created a scaffolding through which state-level cultural traditions receive central visibility without requiring the creation of new statutory bodies. Civilian honours like the Padma Shri function as a complementary signalling mechanism within this framework.

Stakeholders and Impact

For traditional martial artists and Tamil Nadu cultural organisations, the award represents formal acknowledgement of a discipline that has historically struggled for institutional support and student enrolment. Practitioners of indigenous martial arts such as Kalaripayattu, Thang-Ta, and Gatka — alongside Silambam — have increasingly sought parity with modern sports in government funding and curriculum inclusion. An award at this level can meaningfully raise a discipline's profile, attracting younger practitioners and state-level funding.

The Sports Ministry's involvement in amplifying the honour also signals that the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports views traditional martial arts as within its policy remit, not solely the domain of culture ministries.

What's Next

Observers of sports and cultural policy will watch whether Silambam receives a dedicated slot in upcoming editions of the Khelo India University Games or national games, and whether the Sports Ministry issues circulars encouraging its inclusion in school and university physical education curricula. The award to Pajanivel could serve as a catalyst for state governments — particularly Tamil Nadu — to formalise Silambam coaching academies and competitive structures. The broader pattern of honouring grassroots cultural practitioners suggests such recognition is unlikely to remain symbolic alone.