New Delhi (India), 24th February 2023: The Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (Akademi Ratna) and Sangeet Natak Akademi awards (Akademi Puruskar) took place on Thursday at the Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi. President Draupadi Murmu presented the awards and also spoke at the event.
The President presented the awards for the years 2019, 2020 and 2021. Multiple extremely talented artists hailing from different parts of the country gathered in Delhi to receive the award and celebrate their achievements. There were a total of 123 awards that were presented by the President to the likes of Bharatnatyam dancer Saroja Vaidyanathan, Kathakali exponent Sadanam Krishnan Kutty, Manipuri dancer Darshana Jhaveri, classical vocalist Chhannu Lal Mishra, Carnatic clarinet player A K C Natarajan, tabla player Swapan Chaudhuri, Carnatic and Hindustani musician T V Gopalakrishnan, folk singer Teejan Bai, and musicologist Bharat Gupt.
Speaking at the event our President said that the culture of a nation is it’s true identity. She also said that Indians should take pride in our rich and diverse heritage,culture and how the oldest and best art forms have developed in our country. She complimented M S Subbulakshmi, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Bismillah Khan, Lata Mangeshkar, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi and Bhupen Hazarika and how despite the language and geography barriers they have left priceless legacies for music lovers across the globe. Murmu said, “In today’s time which is full of tension and conflict, Indian arts can spread peace and harmony.”
