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FLASH NEWS  Manipuri Guru Darshana Jhaveri received the VYSAKHI BHARATA NRITYA BHUSHAN AWARD 2026 from Nataraj Music and Dance Academy, on 26th September 2026 at Vishakhapatnam.  A pioneering force in the world of art and culture, former ISRO scientist-engineer and arts promoter SOORYA KRISHNAMURTHY is no more. He passed away on September 23, 2026 aged 77. The end came in Thiruvananthapuram at 6.45pm, a time when he started his shows punctually. The cause of death was liver ailment he had been suffering from for a long time. His doctor is a student of guru Girija Chandran, who said, "He did much for artists and put Thiruvananthapuram on the world map, culturally." Actor and star dancer Shobana Chandrakumar hailed him for making Dubai an Indian dance base too, in addition to work in Kerala. He established the Soorya Stage and Film Society in 1977. The Soorya Festival evolved into one of the world’s longest running cultural events, spanning over a hundred days annually and showcasing premier classical dance, music, theatre, and cinema. For generations of artistes, the name Soorya has been synonymous with a deep love for the arts and an unwavering commitment to giving artistes a platform. His passion, warmth and extraordinary dedication created a space where countless artistes found an audience, encouragement and recognition. He leaves behind not just a remarkable legacy, but a cultural world that is richer because of his lifelong service to the arts. In recognition of his immense contributions to art and society, he was awarded the National Award for Stage Craft and Direction in 1996. In 2023, the Government of Kerala conferred upon him the Kerala Prabha Award, the state’s second-highest civilian honor. The dance community has lost a true crusader and patron.  WION honoured DR ANITA RATNAM with the ICONIC EXCELLENCE IN DANCE & PERFORMING ARTS AWARD at the Iconic Awards 2026 on September 23, 2026 at New Delhi.  The SAMANVAY PURASKAR was given on September 19, 2026 by Sri Rajarajeswari Kalaniketan to Revathi Ramachandran, Anitha Guha and Dr. Hamsini Nagendra at Chowdiah Hall in Bangalore.  Scholar and author DR. MANDAKRANTA BOSE passed away on September 10, 2026 in her home city of Vancouver, Canada. Professor Emerita at the University of British Columbia, and director of the university’s Centre for India and South Asia Studies, she held a D. Phil. degree of Oxford University and was a Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies and the Department of Sanskrit (Mahamahopadhyaya), University of Calcutta. She was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain. Deeply engaged with dance and drama, Dr Bose was a noted dancer in the Tagore style for many years as well as an actor. She has written many books on dance such as: Movement and Mimesis, Speaking of Dance, The Dance Vocabulary of Classical and India amongst others. She taught at UBC from 1990 onwards, becoming the director of the Centre for India and South Asia Research in 1998. More info: Indic scholar Mandakranta Bose dies in Vancouver on September 10, leaves lasting legacy - Julie Banerjee Mehta  MADHU NATARAJ has been awarded the G. S. Sardesai Fellowship for History of Indian Archives by FIHCR for her project, ‘Archiving the Ephemeral: Dance, Memory, Historical Continuum’ for 2026-2027.  Sai Arts International and Gokulam School of Music presented LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD to dance musicians G Gurumurthy (mridangam), N Narayana Swamy (mridangam), R Purushotama (mridangam), Pustakam Rama (vocal), C Madhusudan (violin), NR Narasimha Murthy (flute), DS Srivatsa (vocal) and A Shankar Raman (veena) on September 5, 2026 at Jayaram Seva Mandali, Bangalore.  Bharatanatyam practitioner and dance teacher INDU MITHA passed away in Dublin on August 31, 2026 at the age of 97. More info: Classical dance icon Indu Mitha is no more - Syeda Shehrbano Kazim  Legends of India presented LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD to The Dhananjayans (dance) and Margi Madhu (theatre) on September 5, 2026 at IIC, New Delhi.  On the 99th birth anniversary of Balkrishna Doshi, the Vastu Shilpa Foundation announced the BALKRISHNA DOSHI: GURU RATNA AWARD 2026 honouring LEELA SAMSON for her contribution to Bharatanatyam.  The recipients of GURU KELUCHARAN MOHAPATRA AWARD 2026 are Sharon Lowen (Odissi dance), Keshab Chandra Rout (Odissi music), Dhirendranath Mallick (Theatre) and Mahasweta Ray (Cinema). It carries a cash award of ₹1,00,000 and a citation. The GURU KELUCHARAN MOHAPATRA YUVA PRATHIBA SAMMAN awardees are Vrinda Chadha (Odissi dance), Aishwariya Singh Deo (Odissi dance), Nikita Banawalikar (Kathak) and Sowmya Ranjan Nayak (Odissi music-mardala) with a cash award of ₹25,000 and a citation. The GURU KELUCHARAN MOHAPATRA KALA SAMMAN carrying a cash award of ₹50,000 and a citation goes to Agnimitra Behera (violin) and Dr Nazia Alam (vocal). They were awarded on the concluding evening of Srjan’s five-day GKCM Award Festival 2026 at Rabindra Mandap, Bhubaneswar, on September 9, 2026.  Natyanjali Trust conferred THE FLAME OF BHARATANATYAM award on Alarmel Valli on September 11, 2026 at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Chennai. On September 17, 2026 the NARTAKA AWARD was conferred on Kuchipudi dancer MVN Murthy.  The Dhananjayans received the POORNA SHAKTI AWARD on 6th September 2026 at Chennai. Poorna Shakti Awards is a signature initiative that honours distinguished personalities and changemakers who continue to contribute, innovate and inspire beyond conventional age barriers.  Krishna Gana Sabha confers NRITYA CHOODAMANI award on Indira Kadambi for 2026 in December.  Government of Karnataka to confer NATYA RANI SHANTALA AWARD 2026 on Bharatanatyam dancer PRATHIBHA PRAHLAD. This is the highest Karnataka State Govt award instituted for the art of dance.  Madras Music Academy announced its dance awardees for 2026. NRITYA KALANIDHI: G Narendra NRITYA KALA ACHARYA: A Janardhanan DANCE MUSICIAN AWARD: S Rajeswari and TK Padmanabhan Dance awardees will receive the awards at the inauguration of The Music Academy's 20th Annual Dance Festival on January 3, 2027.  The Kerala Government's top national cultural award with a cash prize of Rs.3 lakhs in the name of legendary Guru Gopinath, will be given to the Bharatanatyam couple V.P. DHANANJAYAN and SHANTA DHANANJAYAN and Kerala Natanam artiste AMBIKA MOHAN. This Puraskar is organized by Guru Gopinath Natana Gramam on behalf of the cultural department. The awards will be given shortly by the Chief Minister of the State.  Urmila Sathyanarayanan is the convenor of the Natya Kala Conference in 2026 and 2027. Highlights ; Obituaries |
