Professor P. Prakash Babu, Vice-Chancellor of Pondicherry University and the entire University community under his leadership conveyed the heartiest congratulations to Prof. Vempaty Kutumba Sastry on being conferred the prestigious Padma Shri Award for 2026 by the Government of India. This honor stands as a testament to his distinguished career and his tireless commitment to the advancement of Sanskrit language and literature.

It is pertinent to mention that Professor Kutumba Sastry is the first academician from Pondicherry University to get this highest national recognition of Padma Shri award from the Government of India. A stalwart in the field of Sanskrit studies, Prof. Sastry served as a Professor and Head of the Department of Sanskrit, School of Humanities at Pondicherry University from 1991 to 1999, laying a strong foundation for the Department of Sanskrit at Pondicherry University. His academic and  administrative vision later saw him serve as the Director and subsequently the first Vice-Chancellor of the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, New Delhi, following its elevation to a Deemed-to-be-University.

His illustrious journey further includes leadership tenures as the Vice-Chancellor of Sampurnananda Sanskrit University, Varanasi and Somnath Sanskrit University. Currently, he continues his academic stewardship as the Chancellor of Sree Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Viswa Mahavidyalaya, Kanchipuram.

Pondicherry University celebrates with pride, his lifelong contributions to scholarship and the propagation of our classical heritage and we take great pride in this well-deserved national recognition of the scholarly academician who served as Professor at the prestigious Pondicherry University.