GUWAHATI: The Sangeet Natak Akademi will honour 16 artists from Assam with the Akademi Puraskar in various categories. The ministry of culture announced the awards for the years 2019, 2020 and 2021 on Friday.
The general council of the Akademi has also selected 75 artistes above the age of 75, who have not been conferred with any national honour as of now. The Sangeet Natak Akademi Amrit Award under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav would be bestowed on them. Among the recipients would be Dharmeswar Nath Ojha (Byas Ojhapali) and Guru Prasad Ojha (Sattriya Ojhapali Byas Kirtan), Sattriya exponent Hori Bora Barbayan, violin player Minoti Khound and Makhan Chandra Borah for folk music & dance. The Amrit Award includes Rs one lakh, a 'Tamrapatra' and an 'Angavastram'.
Among the 16 being honoured with the Akademi Puraskar are Sattriya dance exponent Ranjumoi Saikia, actor Pranjal Saikia and theatre director Abinash Sarma. They have been named for the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 2019 while Gunindra Nath Ojha will be recognised for his contribution to 'Ankiya Bhaona', a traditional play, for 2021. Prashanna Gogoi, an exponent of Bihu songs and history, has also been nominated for 2021 in the 'folk music & dance' category.
The Akademi Awards, initiated in 1952, will be conferred by the president on the artists at a special investiture ceremony. Six other artistes from the state have been named for the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar, introduced in 2006 for artistes below the age of 40. For 2019, Prabhat Kakoti has been named for the Sattriya dance form, and for 2020, Manas Kumar Chamuah (Hindustani instrumental - violin), Himangshu Sharma (theatre direction) and Jollymoni Saikia (Sattriya). The award for 2021 has been given jointly to Dipjyoti Das and Dipankar Arandhara for 'contemporary Sattriya'.
