A total of 84 artists, comprising 70 men and 14 women, were bestowed with the one-time Sangeet Natak Akademi awards for their significant input in varied fields of performing arts.

The Sangeet Natak Akademi Amrit awards are given as a one-time honor to Indian artists over 75 years, who haven’t received national recognition so far. They recognize the achievements of artists, teachers, and scholars in the field of performing arts. This year on September 16, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar gave away the “Amrit” awards to 84 performing artists, who are above the age of 75 years, commemorating 75 years of India’s independence.

The Akademi’s General Council, which includes prominent musicians, dancers, theatre artists, and scholars, selects recipients along with nominees from government entities. Each award comes with a purse of Rs. 100,000, along with a Tamrapatra, and an Angavastram.

Among 84 awardees at the ceremony, 70 were men and 14 women. The list of awardees consists of 1 artist each from the states of Jammu & Kashmir, Goa, Jharkhand, and Ladakh; 2 each from Punjab, Arunachal Pradesh, and Delhi; 3 each from Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh. 4 award recipients each are from Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, Manipur, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala; while 5 each from Assam, Rajasthan, and 6 from Maharashtra. 

Some of the notable awardees in the classical genre 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 Odissi, respectively. Significant mentions in the folk category were Mahabir Nayak from Jharkhand for music, Harishchandra Prabhakar Borkar from Maharashtra for theatre, and Dharmeswar Nath of Assam for dance.

During his speech at the ceremony, Vice President Dhankhar said that these artists for the first time in the nation’s history are getting recognition. “All these artists are those who have never been given their due in the last 75 years. By giving them respect, we give respect to Indian culture; it increases India’s glory in the world,” he said. He further added, “India’s culture is 5,000 years old. Hence, it is important that we appreciate these artists, take care of them, protect them, nurture them, and help them in a structured manner. I am aware that there are several innovative government schemes under which artists are receiving help”.

Sandhya Purecha, the chairman of Sangeet Natak Akademi, announced that the Akademi is awarding artists for their lifelong dedication to preserving and protecting Indian arts and culture.

The Minister of State for Law Arjun Ram Meghwal and the Minister of State for Culture Meenakshi Lekhi were also attendees of the award ceremony. The Akademi further organized a festival from September 16 to 20, featuring the award recipients at their complex.

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