AWARDS

The 9TH NRUTYA NAIBEDYA LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD was conferred on Odissi's best known violin exponent RAMESH CHANDRA DAS on September 30, 2025 at Bhubaneswar.


GURU SANKAR BEHERA, eminent Odissi guru of Mumbai, who had laid the foundation of Odissi in Mumbai along with Guru Natabar Moharana, was honoured with the ODISSI INTERNATIONAL LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD during the Mumbai Odissi Utsav on October 26, 2025.


Kathak dancer SONIA SABRI was honoured with an MBE for her Services to Dance as part of His Majesty's King Charles III birthday honours. She received her medal on 12 November 2025 at Windsor Castle. Sonia is the first British born south Asian woman who has trained in her craft fully in the UK, to receive this recognition.


On November 14, 2025 JAI GOVINDA (Mandala Arts and Culture) received the DRISHTI AWARD for innovation in the Arts at the 11th Drishti gala event in Vancouver also honouring other awardees in the fields of medicine, philanthropy, sports, entrepreneurship etc. It was the first time that the Drishti Award was given to dance.


RATIKANT MOHAPATRA was honoured with the BHARATI NRUTYA SAMMAN 2025 by Bharati Nrutya Mandir of Bharat Charan Giri, on November 14, 2025 at Rabindra Mandap, Bhubaneswar.


SUMITRA CHARATRAM AWARD FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT was awarded to the late theatre legend RATAN THIYAM on November 17, 2025 at New Delhi. He was alive when the trustees of SBKK decided to confer the award on him. His son Thawai Thiyam received the award on his behalf.


Dhwani conferred the inaugural DHWANI SHAMBHU SMRITI PURASKAR 2025 award for Dance posthumously upon late Kathak Guru DR. MAYA RAO, and for Music upon USTAD AMJAD ALI KHAN, on November 18, 2025 at Delhi. It is profound that this honour carries the name of the doyen of the Lucknow Gharana of Kathak - Guru Shambhu Maharaj - whose artistry and spirit deeply inspired Dr. Maya Rao's own journey in Kathak. The award was accepted by her daughter Madhu Nataraj.


VR DEVIKA received the LAADLI MEDIA AND ADVERTISING AWARD FOR GENDER SENSITIVITY 2025 for her book 'Rukmini Devi Arundale: Arts Revivalist and Institution Builder' on November 19, 2025 presented by Population First, a non-governmental organisation, at the 15th edition of the Laadli awards at NCPA, Mumbai.


Trinity Arts Festival conferred the following awards for Bharatanatyam on November 19, 2025 at Chennai.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Bragha Bessell, Anitha Guha, Prof S Raghuraman
BHARATA KALA RATNA: Meenakshi Srinivasan
NATYA KALA MANI: Shankar Kandasamy
KALA RATNA: CK Vasudevan
NATYA RATNA: Bhavya Kumaran, Meenakshi Grama, Sandhya Easwar, Seethalakshmi Vijay, Shobit Ramesh, Shruti Priya Vignesh, Smriti Sudhakar, Vidhya Venugopal
NATYA CHEMMAL: Anagha GS, Vaishnavi Srinivasan, Vedya Spurthi Konda, Vivek Ramanan


Movement therapist and dance educator TRIPURA KASHYAP received the INTERNATIONAL AWARD FOR WORKING WOMEN 2025 at Marwah Studios, Film City, Noida on 22nd November 2025. The award was presented by International Chamber of Media and Entertainment Industry in association with International Women's Film Forum.


VYJAYANTHIMALA BALI received the DR. MRS YGP AWARD FOR CULTURAL EXCELLENCE from actor Rajnikanth at the birth centenary celebration of educationist Dr. YGP organized by Bharat Kalachar on 26th November 2025 at Chennai.

The ODISHA SANGEET NATAK AKADEMI AWARDS were given on November 26, 2025 at a special ceremony held at the convention centre of Lok Seva Bhawan, Bhubaneswar, for 2023, 2024 & 2025.
- KABI SAMRAT UPENDRA BHANJA AWARD, the highest award of the OSNA.
2023: Dr. Pranab Kishore Pattnaik (Sugam Sangeet), Badal Sikdar (Director, Mogal Tamasa Folk Theatre)
2024: Mohini Mohan Pattnaik (Flute), Sudhakar Sahoo (Odissi dance guru)
2025: Ghanashyam Panda (Odissi music guru), Bhagabat Pradhan (Sabda Nrutya guru)
- ODISHA SANGEET NATAK AKADEMI AWARD
2023: Prafulla Kumar Mangaraj (mardala), Roopashree Mohapatra (Mahari), Pagala Swain (Odissi dance)
2024: Bijay Kumar Barik (mardala), Srinibas Satapathy and Niranjan Biswal (string instrument), Sujata Mohapatra and Pushpita Mishra (Odissi dance)
2025: Muktolata Pal (Odissi dance)
- KABICHANDRA KALICHARAN YUVA PRATIBHA SAMMAN
2023: Rupak Kumar Parida (Odissi vocal), Pravat Kumar Swain and Rajashree Praharaj (Odissi dance)
2024: Gouri Shankar Dash (Odissi dance), Sibacharan Mahanta (Chhau dance), Debiprasad Mishra (light design)
2025: Arupa Gayatri Panda (Odissi dance), Sachin Dhada and Sushant Behera (Chhau dance), Prajnadatta Sahu (stage craft), Chitrasen Swain (Gotipua dance)


On December 4, 2025 the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (Bengaluru) presents the BHAVAN-ZAKIA SHANKAR PATHAK AWARD 2024 to writer and artiste V.R. DEVIKA at BVB, Bangalore.


ILEANA CITARISTI will be conferred with the NAATYACHARYA MAHANKALI NATIONAL EXCELLENCE AWARD 2025 by Sri Kirthi Nrithya Akademi at Ravindra Bharathi, Hyderabad on December 5, 2025.


On December 7, 2025 Ambalam presents NRITYA ARADHAKA award to Guru USHA DATAR and KALA ARADHAKA award to lighting designer T RAVI at Seva Sadan, Bangalore.


Kartik Fine Arts confers the title NRITHYA PEROLI on THE DHANANJAYANS on 12th December 2025, the inaugural day of the dance seminar 'Natya Darshan' at Sathguru Gnanananda Hall (Main Hall) of Narada Gana Sabha, Chennai. The recognition carries a cash award of Rs.25000, a medallion with citation and a shawl.


Krishna Gana Sabha confers the NRITHYA CHOODAMANI award on acharya G NARENDRA at the inauguration of the 69th Margazhi Mela on December 12, 2025 at Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai. Founder-Director of Avigna Dance Ensemble in Chennai, he trained at the Kalakshetra Foundation where he completed his Post Diploma in Bharatanatyam. He also worked as a faculty at Bharatakalanjali established by the Dhananjayans. SANGEETHA CHOODAMANI award goes to mridanga vidwan K.V. PRASAD.


Mumbai based Guru LATA RAMAN, a teacher in Bharatanatyam and classical Carnatic music, has been selected for the 'Honorary Doctorate Award (Honoris Causa) in Performing Arts' from Trinity Crest University, Panther Creek, Texas, USA in recognition of her exceptional accomplishments, contributions, influence and service to the performing arts sector. She will receive the certificate on December 19, 2025.


ILEANA CITARISTI will be conferred with the CHOUSATHI YOGINI NRUTYA PRATIVA SAMMAN 2025 at the 20th International Chausathi Yogini Mahotsav organised by Nrutya Prativa at Chausathi Temple on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, on December 25, 2025.


This year's KERALA KALAMANDALAM KATHAKALI MUSIC AWARD will be awarded to KALAMANDALAM MOHANAKRISHNAN, a distinguished musician and torchbearer of the Kathakali music tradition. Over the years, Kalamandalam Mohanakrishnan has performed alongside some of the greatest Kathakali maestros, earning recognition as one of the rare artistes who has upheld and enriched the musical tradition of Kathakali on national and international stages.