The General Council of Sangeet Natak Akademi, the National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama, New Delhi, at its meeting held on 21 and 22 February 2024 at New Delhi unanimously elected six (6) eminent personalities in the field of performing arts as Akademi Fellows (Akademi Ratna). The Fellowship of the Akademi is a most prestigious and rare honour, which is restricted to 40 at any given time.
The General Council also selected ninety-two (92) artists from the field of Music, Dance, Theatre, Traditional/Folk/Tribal Music/Dance/ Theatre, Puppetry and Overall contribution/scholarship in the Performing Arts for the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards (Akademi Puraskar) for the years 2022 & 2023.
The Fellows and Awardees so selected represent the nation as a whole, and belong to different States and Union Territories. Besides, these eminent artists cover the entire gamut of the performing arts forms expressed in the form of music, dance, drama, folk & tribal art, puppetry and allied theatre art forms etc.
The General Council of the Akademi has also selected 80 young artists for Sangeet Natak Akademi Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for the years 2022 and 2023. The Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar carries a purse money of Rs. 25,000/- (Rupees Twenty Five Thousand Only) besides a Tamrapatra and Angavastram. These awards will be conferred by the Chairman, Sangeet Natak Akademi in a special ceremony.
The Akademi Awards have been conferred since 1952. These honours not only symbolize the highest standard of excellence and achievement, but also recognize sustained individual work and contribution. The honour of Akademi Fellow carries a purse money of Rs.3, 00, 000/- (Rupees three lakhs) while the Akademi Award carries a purse money of Rs. 1,00,000/- (Rupees one lakh), besides a Tamrapatra and Angavastram.
