The prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademy awards for the years 2019, 2020 and 2021 have been announced, which sprang a pleasant surprise for the Tricity as it bagged five of the total awards announced under various categories of performing arts.
The proud recipients of these coveted awards, among others, included veteran Hindustani vocalist Pandit Bhim Sen Sharma and a tabla exponent of a popular music ‘gharana’ of Punjab Sushil Kumar Jain. Both the maestros have been awarded the Lifetime Presidential Award under the ongoing ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsava’ the 75th glorious year of India’s independence.
Balkar Singh Sidhu, an acclaimed dance ‘guru’ is the recipient of the award under the folk dances category, while Sudesh Sharma was awarded under the theatre direction category.
Abhimanyu Imroz, who has been an integral part of serious theatre since the tender age of nine, has been bestowed upon the award under the Bismillah Khan Yuva Puruskar category for his insignificant contribution to the specific genre – theatre direction.
Octogenarian Pandit Bhim Sen Sharma is twice lucky to have been awarded under the twin categories- Hindustani vocal and instrumental music. Crediting the crowning achievement to his erudite and visionary ‘gurus’, he says, “The accolades and awards are an endorsement of one’s contribution to the field one has been diligently pursuing and, of course, a set of new responsibilities to continue working with the never-before gravitas”.
The iconic ‘tabla’ wizard Sushil Kumar Jain was gung-ho as the good tidings announcing the award trickled in. He confideshow the award was special to him, saying “I could not have asked for more on this day, being my 76th birth anniversary, when this coveted honour landed in my lap”. He expressed his gratitude to teeming millions of his fans and friends from across India and the neighbouring sub-continent.
“I am grateful to CSNA for considering me worthy of this honour for the services rendered by me to promote the traditional folk dances of Punjab for several decades now,” says Balkar Singh Sidhu in a sibilate whisper.
Sudesh Sharma says, “This prestigious award will continue motivating me to carry on with renewed enthusiasm and commitment. I firmly believe that there is always room for improvement to prove your mettle and bring the best out of you”.
The youngest of the lot, Abhmanyu Imroz turned emotional as he coyly confides, “My father, a ‘naqal’ dancer (a typical folk dance of Punjab), who had been my mentor, taught me the first lesson to grow as an astute artiste and carve out a niche for himself among the galaxy of stars and here I am today receiving the honour”.
Speaking with CityWoofer, Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademy (CSNA) Chairman Atul Sharma says that as many as 128 who’s who from various performing art spectrums, including music, dance, theatre, traditional folk, tribal music and dance and puppetry had been selected for the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards.
