President Droupadi Murmu felicitated eminent artists with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards for 2024 and 2025 in Delhi. She emphasised the role of artists in presenting India’s cultural map and the importance of preserving folk art forms.
On Thursday, President Droupadi Murmu conferred the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowships and Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards on eminent artists for 2024 and 2025 at a ceremony at Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi.
Speaking on the occasion, the President said that the performing artists honoured today collectively present a cultural map of India–a map woven with stories and songs native to this soil; a map that encompasses the dances and festivals of this diverse land and holds the memories of its languages and dialects, shaped over centuries.
Preserving India’s Artistic Heritage
The President said that India possesses a multitude of musical traditions, dance styles, and countless forms of folk theatre. The President said that the Guru-Shishya tradition has played a vital role in India’s diverse art forms. “The Guru serves as the most important book for our arts. In today’s rapidly changing times, many of our folk art forms face the threat of extinction. It is essential not only to document such art forms but also to make special efforts to keep them alive,” President Murmu noted.
She was happy to note that the Sangeet Natak Akademi is organising the ‘Kala-Diksha’ program with this very objective. She urged senior artists to make systematic efforts to groom the next generation.
Distinguished Artists Honoured
Acclaimed ghazal singer and composer Ustad Yugantar Sindoor, senior Kathak maestro Pandit Rammohan Maharaj of the Kalka-Bindadin Gharana, and veteran photographer Rakesh Sinha were among the distinguished artists felicitated at the ceremony. (ANI)
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