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Pratibha: give priority to art and its appreciation in education system

Ashok Kumar

President presents Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards 2008

Photo: Shanker Chakravarty

NATION’S PRIDE: President Pratibha Patil poses with some of the recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards 2008, at a function in New Delhi on Tuesday. —

NEW DELHI: President Pratibha Patil on Tuesday said more priority should be accorded to art and its appreciation in our education system and youth should be given more opportunities and facilities to learn performing arts.

She was speaking at the presentation ceremony of Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards 2008 at the Vigyan Bhawan here.

“In our present education system much priority is not accorded to art and its appreciation. A change in this approach is necessary,” said Ms. Patil, delivering her speech in Hindi. “It would require efforts on behalf of arts practitioners to make teaching interesting and education system to accord priority to performing arts.”

Digital library

Congratulating the Akademi on its work in encouraging performing arts and in preserving some of the arts forms and traditions for over five decades, Ms. Patil said it must consider exploring options such as setting up a digital library to provide people easy access to its archival material as this would encourage scholars to undertake studies on Indian culture.

Ms. Patil said that in today’s world of multiple choices and options the challenge was to ensure space for traditional arts, music and dance. “The Akademi can create interest in the performing arts by finding imaginative and attractive ways of hosting performing arts events across the country. The visibility of the performing arts must also be increased.” The President called on the Akademi to identify the traditional masters of performing arts, who were living in a meagre condition and extend support to them.

Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Prithviraj Chavan and Akademi chairman Ram Niwas Mirdha were present.

The most coveted “Akademi Ratna” (Akademi Fellows) was conferred on Sitara Devi for her outstanding contribution to dance, R.C. Mehta for music, Khaled Choudhury for theatre and Bhupendra Kumar Hazarika for music. The award carries an “angavastram,” a “tamrapatra” and Rs.1 lakh cash.

The recipients of “Akademi Puraskar” (Akademi Awards) were: Ulhas Kashalkar (Hindustani Vocal), M.R. Gautam (Hindustani Vocal), Ramesh Mishra (Hindustani Instrumental), Krishna Ram Choudhary (Hindustani Instrumental), Puranam Purushottama Sastry (Carnatic Vocal), B. Sasi Kumar (Carnatic Instrumental), Mannargudi A. Easwaran (Carnatic Instrumental) and Ningombam Ibobi Singh (Nata Sankirtana), Saroja Vaidyanathan (Bharatanatyam), Shashi Sankhla (Kathak), Kalamandalam Kuttan (Kathakali), Ramani Ranjan Jena (Odissi), M. Vasanthalakshmi and M.V. Narasimhachari (Kuchipudi), Kalamandalam Leelamma (Mohiniyattam), Yogsunder Desai (Creative and Experimental Dance) and Ramhari Das (Odissi dance music), Markand Bhatt (acting), Arundhati Shankar Nag (acting), S. Ramanujam (Direction), Probir Guha (Direction), Mudra Rakshasa (Playwriting), Narsingh Dev Jamwal (Playwriting), Amba Sanyal (Costume Designing), Bansi Lal Khilari (Khayal), Shakuntala Nagarkar (Lavani), Birabar Sahoo (Gotipua), Mangi Bai Arya (Mand), L. Heramot Meitei (Thang-Ta), Lakha Khan Mangniyar (Folk Music), Hilda Mit Lepcha (Lepcha Music), Kartar Singh (Gurbani), Lakshman Das (Harikatha) and R. Sathyanarayana (Scholarship in Performing Arts).

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