Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowships and Awards for 2022 and 2023

• 09 Mar 2024

Source: PIB

Why in News?

Recently, the President of India presented Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA) Fellowships and Awards for the years 2022 and 2023 in New Delhi.

What are the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowships and Awards?

• Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship:
  • The Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (Akademi Ratna Sadasyata) is the most prestigious honour conferred by the SNA.
    • Established individuals in the fields of music, dance, and drama are considered for this fellowship. However, the criteria stipulate that individuals below the age of 50 are not ordinarily considered for this honour.
  • The Akademi Fellowship includes purse money of Rs. 3.00 lakhs, a Tamrapatra (copper plaque), and an Angavastram (shawl).
    • Recommendations for the fellowship are received from the current fellows of the Akademi and members of the General Council of the Akademi.
  • The fellowship initially had 30 seats until 2008. In 2010, the General Council amended the rules to add 10 more seats, to be filled over five years with two seats added annually.
• Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards:
  • The SNA Awards have a rich history spanning over 70 years. These awards aim to honour practitioners, gurus, and scholars in the field of music, dance, and drama, representing the nation's highest achievement in these art forms.
  • The Awards in Hindustani and Carnatic music were instituted as early as 1951, even before the establishment of the Akademi.
    • Initially known as the Presidential Awards, they were later incorporated into the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards after the formation of the Akademi.
  • Each award includes purse money of Rs. 1.00 lakh, a Tamrapatra (copper plaque), and an Angavastram (shawl).
  • Currently, the number of awards to be conferred annually is 41, and till date, over 1298 artists have been honoured with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards.

Sangeet Natak Akademi

• The SNA, established in 1953, is the apex body in India dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the rich intangible heritage expressed through music, dance, and drama.
  • It was created by a resolution of the (then) Ministry of Education, Government of India, in 1952 with Dr P.V. Rajamannar as its first Chairman.
• The management of the Akademi is overseen by its General Council, with the Chairman appointed by the President of India for a five-year term.
• The registered office of the Akademi is located at Rabindra Bhavan, New Delhi. Operating as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Culture, the Sangeet Natak Akademi holds a significant position in promoting and preserving India's cultural heritage.
• The SNA gives the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar to artists under 40 who have excelled in dance, music, and theatre. The award was introduced in 2006. The SNA's Chairman gives the winner a prize of Rs. 25,000 besides a Tamrapatra and Angavastram.
• More than 100 rare art forms that were on the verge of extinction are now being revived through training programmes under the name of ‘Kala Deeksha’ by the Akademi.

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Questions (PYQs)

Prelims:

Q. Consider the following statements: (2009)

1. The National School of Drama was set up by Sangeet Natak Akademi in 1959.
2. The highest honour conferred by the Sahitya Akademi on a writer is by electing him its Fellow.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans: (c)