On the occasion of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the Vice President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, presented the one-time Sangeet Natak Akademi Amrit Awards to 84 artists from the field of performing arts in India who are over the age of 75 and have not received any national honour in their career.
The Vice President of India presented the Sangeet Natak Akademi Amrit Awards today at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi in the presence of the Minister of Law and Justice (Independent Charge) and Minister of State for Culture and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, the Minister of State for Culture and External Affairs, Smt. Meenakashi Lekhi, and the Chairman of Sangeet Natak Akademi, Dr. Sandhya Purecha.
Speaking at the event, Vice President Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar emphasised the need to promote India's 5000-year-old cultural history. He urged the media to recognise our cultural legacy and stressed the need for protecting, supporting, and nurturing our artists in a disciplined manner. The Vice President expressed his delight in honouring the individuals whose efforts contribute to the nation's cultural heritage and pride.
Shri Dhankhar praised the veteran artists as the builders and true defenders of our cultural legacy, expressing his tremendous appreciation for the individuals, all of whom are above 75 years old, who were honoured today. According to Shri Dhankhar, their outstanding services should have been recognised a long time ago. He also praised India's dazzling exhibition of culture on the world stage during the G-20 summit and expressed confidence that with the proper leadership in place, India will attain its peak on the global stage in 2047.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of Law and Justice (Independent Charge) and Minister of State for Culture and Parliamentary Affairs, said, "It is with great pride that we honour today the great people who have worked tirelessly in the fields of music, dance, and theatre." Sangeet Natak Akademi Amrit Awards, presented as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, are a magnificent honour and acknowledgment to our eminent masters in the world of performing arts. He went on to say that these artists are the unsung heroes of our cultural heritage.
Smt. Meenakashi Lekhi, Minister of State for Culture and External Affairs, stated on this occasion that India is a country that has unity in variety and that numerous dance, music, and theatrical styles have existed for millennia. Our senior artists carry the flame of our ancient civilization, which is rich in cultural values.
The Sangeet Natak Akademi Amrit Awards are a national honour bestowed on performing artists as well as teachers and scholars in the field of performing arts. The recipients are selected by the Akademi’s General Council, consisting of distinguished musicians, dancers, theatre artists, and scholars in these disciplines, as well as nominees from the Government of India, State Governments, and Union Territories. The honorary carries a purse of Rs. 1,00,000/- (Rupees one lakh) besides a Tamrapatra and an Angavastram.
Some of the awardees include Raghubir Malik and Dina Nath Mishra for Hindustani vocal, Gowri Kuppuswamy and Anasuya Kulkarni for Carnatic vocal, Lalitha Srinivasan and Vilasini Devi Krishnapillai for Bharatnatyam, and Smita Shastri and Kumkum Lal for Kuchipudi and Odishi, respectively. The awardees also include those from the folk genre, like Mahabir Nayak from Jharkhand for music, Harishchandra Prabhakar Borkar from Maharashtra for theatre, and Dharmeswar Nath of Assam for dance.
The award ceremony will be followed by a performing arts festival showcasing the beneficiaries of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Amrit Awards from September 16th to September 20th, 2023, at 6 p.m. every day at Meghdoot Complex, Sangeet Natak Akademi, 35 Feroze Shah Road, New Delhi.