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News: The General Council of Sangeet Natak Akademi, the National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama, New Delhi has selected artists for Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for the years 2024 and 2025.
About Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar
- Initiated by: Sangeet Natak Akademi in 2006.
- Objective: To honor and support young artists under 40 in music, dance, drama, folk/tribal arts, puppetry, and allied performing arts.
- Eligibility: Artists below 40 years of age.
- Fields Recognized: The Yuva Puraskar may be given in the following five Fields of activity:
- Music
- Dance
- Theatre
- Other Traditional / Folk/ Tribal/ Dance/ Music/ Theatre and Puppetry
- Contribution / Scholarship in Performing Arts
- Recognition: Cash prize of ₹25,000, a plaque, and an angavastram.
- Significance: Encourages young talents, preserving and promoting India’s diverse cultural heritage.
About Ustad Bismillah Khan
- He was a classical musician to popularize shehnai in Indian classical music.
- Birth: He was born on March 21, 1916, in Dumraon, Bihar, into a family of court musicians.
- He is known for his devotion to Indian classical music and his ability to blend Hindustani classical ragas with the unique tonal quality of the shehnai.
- His music was characterized by its purity, spiritual depth, and emotional intensity, often evoking a sense of devotion and tranquility.
- Recognitions: He represented the Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb (the syncretic culture of Hindu-Muslim unity) through his music and persona.
- He played at the All India Music Conference in Kolkata in 1937, earning wide recognition.
- He also played shehnai at the Red Fort on August 15, 1947, marking India’s Independence and establishing a tradition.
- He performed there on every Independence Day until his death.
- Achievements and Honors
- He was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 2001, becoming the third classical musician to receive India’s highest civilian honor.
- Other major awards: He was also awarded with Padma Shri (1961), Padma Bhushan (1968) and Padma Vibhushan (1980).
