Musicologist S R Janakiraman, filmmaker M S Sathyu, Indian classical singer Vijay Kichlu and musician Tulsidas Borkar have been chosen for the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi fellowships for the year 2014.
Akademi ratnas, or fellowships, and awards for 2014 were decided by the General Council of 'Sangeet Natak Akademi', also known as the National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama, at its meeting here on June 10.
The fellowship of the Akademi is considered a rare honour and restricted to a very limited number at a given time. At present, there are 40 fellows of the Sangeet Natak Akademi.
The General Council also selected 36 artistes from the fields of music, dance, theatre and puppetry for the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards (Akademi Puraskar) for the year 2014.
In the field of music, nine eminent artists -- Ashwini Bhide Deshpande, Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan and Nath Narelkar for Hindustani vocal; Pandit Nayan Ghosh (tabla) and Ronu Majumdar (flute) for Hindustani instrumental music; Neyveli Santhanagopalan for Carnatic vocal; T A Kaliyamurthy (Thavil), Sukanya Ramgopal (Ghatam) and Dwaram Durga Prasad Rao (violin) for Carnatic instrumental music -- have been selected for the Akademi Awards 2014.
In the field of dance, Adayar Janardanan (Bharatanatyam), Uma Dogra (Kathak), Amusana Devi (Manipuri), Vedantam Radhesyam (Kuchipudi), Sudhakar Sahoo (Odissi), Anita Sharma (Sattriya), Jagru Mahto (Chhau), Navtej Singh Johar (contemporary dance) and Varanasi Vishnu Namboothiri (music for Kathakali) have been selected.
In the field of theatre, eight eminent persons have been selected for Akademi Awards 2014. They include Asgar Wajahat, Surya Mohan Kulshreshtha, Chidambar Rao Jambe, Debshankar Haldar, Ramdas Kamath, Amod Bhatt, Manjunath Bhagwat Hostota and Amardas Manikpuri.
For their contribution to traditional/folk/tribal music/ dance/theatre and puppetry, eight artistes have been selected for the Akademi Awards. They are -- Puran Shah Koti, K Kesavasamy, Kalamandalam Ram Mohan, Reba Kanta Mohanta, Abdul Rashid Hafiz, K Shanathoiba Sharma, Ramdayal Sharma and Thanga Darlong.
Director, playwright and writer Akshara K V and musician Indudhar Nirody will receive the Akademi Awards 2014 for Overall Contribution/Scholarship to Performing Arts.
The honour of Akademi Fellow has been conferred since 1954 and Akademi Award since 1952. They not only symbolise the highest standard of excellence and achievements on a national basis, but also recognise sustained individual work and contribution to the practice and appreciation of the arts through performance, teaching and scholarship.
The honour of Akademi Fellow carries a purse money of Rs 3,00,000, and Akademi Awards carry Rs 1,00,000.
