NEW DELHI: Senior media person Rajat Sharma today received the Padma Bhushan from Indian president Pranab Mukherjee at a function in the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

A former Information and Broadcasting Minister, veteran Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan.

Carnatic composer and vocalist Sudha Raghunathan also received the award at the event attended among others by vice president Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

This is the first part of the presentation of the civilian Republic Day honours, which have been split into two in view of the large number of awardees. The second event is expected to be held around 8 April.

Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali was also presented the Padma Shri, apart from author Tarak Mehta on whose writings the popular television series Tarak Mehta Ka Ulta Chashma is based.

Cartoonist and Chacha Choudhary creator Pran Kumar Sharma, who died in August last year, was given the Padma Shri award posthumously.