Professors Emeritus Lloyd I. Rudolph and Susanne Hoeber Rudolph were awarded the Padma Bhushan Award, the third-highest civilian award for distinguished contributions to the Republic of India, last Friday.

The Rudolphs have spent more than 50 years researching and publishing literature regarding culture, politics, and education in India, including eight books.

“The number of people interested in India has dramatically increased over the 50 years of scholarship and research we’ve done about India,” Susanne Rudolph said.

The Rudolphs have made 11 trips to India.

“It was always very interesting from seeing the social, economic, and political development in India over the years to watching my three children adapt to the Indian school system,” she said.

The Rudolphs now live in California but continue to research and host discussions that foster global audiences’ interest in Indian culture, crediting their time at the University for kick-starting this lifelong project.

—Alice Xiao