Dr. Kapil Tiwari is a 2021 Padma Shree awardee in ‘Literature and Education’ field. He received the honour for his stellar contribution over 30 years in studying and documenting oral traditions among various communities in India, especially the tribals.   

Thanks to him, invaluable part of Bharat’s heritage i.e. oral tradition of folk and tribal communities is preserved in over 50,000 printed pages today.  Born in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar, Dr. Tiwari, a PhD in Hindi Literature, has edited scores of books related to folk and tribal culture. He has been the Director of Madhya Pradesh Adivasi Lok Kala Academy and is currently an advisory member of Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts and a member of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.