The Padma Awards, which are dedicated to the exceptional Indian citizens, sometimes go beyond the borders of India to honour the people who have contributed to our national heritage for their whole lives. In 2026, Russian scholar, linguist, and Indologist Dr. Liudmila Viktorovna Khokhlova was added to this very exclusive group.
Awarded the Padma Shri by President Droupadi Murmu in the Literature and Education category, Dr. Khokhlova’s honor shows that loyalty to the culture of a nation is not something a person can do with birth but by intention and lifelong commitment.
Born in 1945 in Russia, Khokhlova was fascinated with the Indian subcontinent from a young age. She would ultimately develop that passion into a great academic career and earn a Master's in Hindi language and literature from Moscow State University in 1970 and a PhD in Indian linguistics.
She has been a pillar at Lomonosov Moscow State University for more than 50 years, giving undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, and historical New Indo-Aryan grammar.
What really sets Dr. Khokhlova apart is the depth and structure of her linguistic study. She has authored 6 books and 92 papers in Russian, English, and Hindi. Rather than following the well-established linguistic routes, she focused on comparative regional studies by studying the structural and lexical character of languages like Gujarati and Marwari (Rajasthani).
Moreover, her contributions to Sikh historical linguistics have been widely acknowledged. Dr. Khokhlova took on the monumental task of translating the core, philosophically rich Punjabi Sikh scriptures into Russian. Her translations of Guru Nanak’s 'Jap Ji' and Guru Gobind Singh’s 'Jap Sahib' brought Russian-speaking people their first direct, unadulterated access to the rich theological core of the Adi Granth.
Her lecture halls in Moscow have been a great intellectual embassy for generations of Russian diplomats, translators, and South Asian scholars. The Government of India’s decision to award her the Padma Shri recognizes that cultural preservation happens not only in the past but also in present times. Dr. Khokhlova’s life shows that a deep understanding of India’s linguistic diversity can lead to lasting bilateral harmony, and she is immensely deserving of one of India’s highest civilian honours.
