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Sangeet Natak Akademi announced  awards for the years 2019, 2020 and 2021 in the fields of music, dance, theatre, traditional, folk, tribal music, puppetry and overall contribution to the performing arts.

Highlights:

• Akademi announced a one-time Sangeet Natak Akademi Amrit Award under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav commemorating 75 years of India’s independence.
• From Karnataka, the Ustad Bismillah Khan Youth Award went to B R Arun Kumar (music), Amit A Nadik (flute) and Vasant Kiran (Kuchipudi).
• The 2019 awardees: Vinayak Torvi (Hindustani Vocal) and Manju Bhargavi (Kuchipudi)
• The 2020 awardees : H G Lakshmidevamma (Folk) and Arathi Angkalikar (Hindustani music). Awardees for 2021 include Ravindra Yavagal (Tabla), H R Leelavathi (Sugama Sangeetha), Garthikere Raghanna (Janapada) and D Balakrishna (veena)
• The one-time award was bagged by Gauri Kuppuswamy (Carnatic Music), Anusuya Kulkarni, Lalita Srinivasan (Bharatanatyam), A S Jayatheertha (Theatre) and Marappa Das (folk).
• Apart from that musician Bickram Ghosh and spiritual singer Anup Jalota won the award for 2020, while Carnatic vocalists Charumathi Ramachandran and Pala C K Ramachandran won the award in 2019.

About the Sangeet Natak Akademi(SNA)

• It is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.
• Parent organisation: Ministry of Culture
• Inaugurated by : Dr Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India
• First chairman: Dr. P. V. Rajamannar.

SNA established several institutions over the years:

• Manipur Dance Academy, Imphal
• Sattriya Centre
• Kathak Kendra (National Institute of Kathak Dance), New Delhi in 1964
• Ravindra Rangshala

Centers

• Centre for Kutiyattam, Thiruvananthapuram
• Chhau Centre, Baripada/ Jamshedpur
• Northeast Centre

Award and Fellowship

• Sangeet Natak Akademi Award: Highest national recognition given to practicing artists, gurus and scholars. It carries a purse money of Rs. 1,00,000/-
• Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, Ratna Sadsya: to distinguished individuals for their contribution to the field of arts, music, dance and theatre.
• Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar: This award is given to young artists (below 40 years of age) for their talent in the fields of music, dance and drama.
• Tagore Ratna and Tagore Puraskar: Commemoration of the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore Sangeet Natak Akademi Tagore Ratna and Sangeet Natak Akademi Tagore Puraskar were conferred

The Sangeet Natak Akademi confers classical status on nine Indian dance forms:

• Bharatanatyam: originating in Tamil Nadu
• Kathak: originating in Northern India
• Kathakali: originating in Kerala, performed by men
• Kuchipudi: originating in Andhra Pradesh
• Manipuri: originating in Manipur
• Mohiniaattam: originating in Kerala, performed by women
• Odissi: originating in Odisha
• Sattriya: originating in Assam
• Chhau: originating in Odisha