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   Manikanchan Kala Manjari presented the MANIKANCHAN LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD to GURU JATIN GOSWAMI on January 7, 2025 at Sri Sri Madhabdev International Auditorium, Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra, Guwahati.   SATHYANARAYANA RAJU and VEENA MURTHY VIJAY received the HONARARY DOCTORATE from the Karnataka State Dr. Gangubai Hangal Music and Performing Arts University, Mysuru, on January 18, 2025.  BIJEESH KRISHNA has been honored with this year’s NRITHA SANGEETHAM AWARD for best dance musician by the Kerala Kalamandalam.  BALA DEVI CHANDRASHEKAR’s latest digital work, ‘An ode to the Tanjore Quartet’, was released on 5 January 2025 at the TAG Dakshinamurthy Auditorium, Chennai. Nandini Ramani released the DVD, and Priya Murle, President of ABHAI, received the first copy. On January 12, 2025 the senior Prince Rajasri Babaji Rajah Sahib Bhonsle Chhatrapati released the digital version of ‘Brihadeeswara—form to formless’ at Thanjavur.  The prize winners of the 18th Annual Dance Festival 2025 presented by Madras Music Academy. - Bharatanatyam (seniors), Best dancer: SHIJITH NAMBIAR & PARVATHY MENON Outstanding dancer: G NARENDRA - Sub-seniors (First slot), Best dancer: BHAVAJAN KUMAR, HARINIE JEEVITHA Outstanding dancer: AVIJIT DAS - Sub-seniors (Second slot), Best dancer: PARSHWANATH UPADHYE Outstanding dancer: PURVADHANASHREE - Juniors, Best dancer: PRITAM DAS Outstanding dancer: PV ADITHYA  Veteran make-up artiste SETHUMADHAVAN passed away in Chennai on January 13, 2025.  Kumar Performing Arts Center in Mysore presented the KALEMANE KALASHREE AWARD on January 11, 2025 to Sathyanarayana Raju and Guru Vazhuvoor S Palaniappan Pillai in the field of Bharatanatyam, and Prof. S Mallanna for sugama sangeeta. Delhi Tamil Sangam presented the GURU SAMMAN on December 21, 2024 to Shovana Narayan for Kathak, Jayarama Rao and Vanashree Rao for Kuchipudi, Ranjana Gauhar for Odissi, Jayaprabha Menon for Mohiniattam, Kanaka Sudhakar for social service and Bharatanatyam, Rajendra Gangani for Kathak, Shrimathy Madkholkar for Bharatanatyam, musician GS Rajan, Vasanta Shridhar for Bharatanatyam and Sindhu Mishra, ex secretary, SKP.  Odissi dancer SUJATA MOHAPATRA, Bharatanatyam dancer DR. SUPARNA VENKATESH, Kathak dancer DEEPA KARTHA will be honored with the SREE MUDRA NATIONAL AWARD 2025 (by Sree Mudra Kala Gurukulam & Chithra Arts Foundation) at Sree Mohananadanam National Dance Festival, on Feb 1/2, 2025 at Perambavoor, Kochi, Kerala. NATYA KALA PRATHIBHA AWARD goes to Mohiniattam dancer SANDHYA RAJAN and Andhra Natyam dancer LOKA CHANDRASEKHAR, NATYA MOHANA PRATHIBHA AWARD to Bharatanatyam dancer SHWETA VENKATESH.  Kathak Guru CHITRA VENUGOPAL passed away in Bangalore on January 3, 2025. Born on 28 July 1936, Chitra Venugopal, the younger sister of Kathak guru Maya Rao, hailed from a family of artistes. For Chitra, an art which was taken up as a hobby, turned out to be a specialized study. After completing her BA, she was awarded the Government of India Scholarship for study in Kathak at Bharatiya Kala Kendra (now Kathak Kendra). Chitra was the second South Indian to receive this award. Initially trained by Guru Sohanlal of Jaipur Gharana, she had the opportunity of being trained by Gurus Shambu Maharaj, Birju Maharaj, Devendra Shanker and Maya Rao. On completion of her specialized training in Kathak, Chitra propagated Kathak in places where it was not popular. Chitra continued her work abroad from 1979 to 1988 in the UK and Egypt, where her husband was on an assignment with a multinational company. On returning to India in 1988, Chitra settled down in her hometown Bangalore, and was actively involved in coaching of students at Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography. Chitra joined Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in 2000 as a Head of the Kathak training section in the Visual and Performing Arts of Kala Bharati, a cultural wing of the Bhavan. After a ten year association with Bhavan and 60 years of dance career, at the age of 75 she decided to hand over the baton to the younger generation to pursue the activity she had initiated at the Bhavan. Chitra was appointed as Chairman of the Text Book Committee for the first text book released for Junior exams for Kathak in 1994. She was a recipient of the Senior Fellowship Award for research in 'Abhinaya in Kathak' bestowed by the Ministry of HRD, Central Government for the years 2000-2002. Her masterpiece was the choreography of ‘Abhigyana Shakuntalam’ which integrated Kathak, Kandyan and Bharatanatyam styles.  Sangeetha Sambrahma presented SAMBRAHMA PURASKAR to artistes Guru Lalitha Srinivasan, Vani Iswara, Sudha Shekar Devulapalli, Devika Rao and scholar critic Dr.M Suryaprasad, on January 5, 2025 at Seva Sadan, Bangalore.  The KANAKA NARTANA PURASKAR 2024 was bestowed on dance critic VIJAY SHANKAR on 12th January 2025 by Nalanda Dance Research Centre in Mumbai. Other awardees include Odissi exponent RABINDRA ATIBUDHI and SAI VENKATESH, President of Karnataka Nrithya Kala Parishath. During RASA’s annual festival The Kala Rasa Mahotsava from Dec 24, 2024 to Jan 4, 2025 in Chennai, the following dance artistes were honoured: Vasanthalakshmi Narasimhachari (Lifetime Achievement Award and the title of NATANA RASA SHIRONMANI), Dr Sarada Natarajan (NATYA RASA MA MANI), Jayanthi Subramaniam, Priya Murle, Revathi Ramachandran, Radhika Shurajit, Shobana Bhalchandra, Srekala Bharath, Roja Kannan, Madurai R Muralidharan & Chitra Muralidharan, Parvathi Ravi Ghantasala, Anitha Guha and Mala Bharath (NATANA RASA MA MANI). Every day, one special achiever was presented the STAR (Special Talent at RASA) Award for excellence in the fields of music, dance and natya. The Drishtikon Dance Foundation announced the winners of the DR. SUNIL KOTHARI AWARD FOR EMERGING ARTIST 2024. Submissions sent by artistes, nominated by Gurus from different genres, were sent to an international jury: Anuradha Parikh, founder & artistic director G5A Foundation for Contemporary Art, Mumbai; Manish Kansara, sculptor, teacher & set designer; Morag Deyes, choreographer, mentor & curation adviser to International Festivals; Sooraj Subramaniam, dancer & choreographer; Suanshu Khurana, journalist & editor; Sudeep Sen, poet, translator, artist and editor; and Vaibhav Arekar, dancer & choreographer. First: KAVYA GANESH (Bharatanatyam) | Man: Predator or Prey? Second: BABINA DEVI (Manipuri) | YUM - A Home Of One's Own Second: MEDHA HARI (Bharatanatyam) | Right Turn Second: PRASHANT MORE (Contemporary) | Pause, Don’t Pause. Forward, Fast Forward KAVYA GANESH will receive the award along with a certificate and cash prize of INR 75000. BABINA DEVI, MEDHA HARI and PRASHANT MORE will jointly receive the second prize of INR 25000 (INR 8333 each) along with a certificate.  Sonal Mansingh to receive SRIMANTA SANKARDEVA AWARD, the highest honor given by govt of Assam once in 3 years.  The KALIDAS SAMMAN of Govt of Madhya Pradesh goes to Dr. Sandhya Purecha and Pandit Uday Bhawalkar. The other awardees include: Sudha Raghuraman (RASHTRIYA KUMAR GANDHARVA SAMMAN), Kalpana Zokarkar and Pt Akhilesh Gundecha (SHIKHAR SAMMAN).  The Madras Music Academy conferred SANGITA KALANIDHI award on Carnatic musician TM Krishna. Prof Parassala Ravi (V Raveendran Nair) and Geetha Raja were conferred with SANGITA KALA ACHARYA awards. S Narasimhan and S Venkatesan, known as Thiruvaiyyaru Brothers, and violinist H K Narasimhamurthy received TTV AWARD. MUSICOLOGIST AWARD went to Dr. Margaret Bastin. The music awards were given on January 1, 2025 during the sadas. Mohiniattam dancer Dr Neena Prasad was conferred NRITYA KALANIDHI Award at the inauguration of the Annual Dance Festival on January 3, 2025.  Vadodara based Mohiniattam dancer Dr. Ayswaria Wariar to receive the GUJARAT GAURAV PURASKAR 2018-2019 from the Gujarat Sangeet Natak Akademi, Dept of Sports, Youth and Culture, Govt. of Gujarat. Highlights ; Obituaries |
