Among the winners of the 2026 Padma Awards, India’s highest civilian awards, was German ethnomusicologist Dr Lars-Christian Koch, 66. Koch was honoured with the Padma Shri for his deep engagement with Indian classical music over the decades. His writings have interpreted Indian music and instruments for the West, and improved their understanding within India, as well. His decades of scholarly engagement helped distinguish Indian music as a significant field of study in global ethnomusicology, which is the study of music and its interplay with broader culture. He has served as Head of Media, Ethnomusicology, and Visual Anthropology as well as the Berlin Phonogram Archive at the Ethnologisches Museum, Berlin.