Singer Anup Jalota among 128 named for Sangeet Natak Akademi awards

Mumbai: Renowned bhajan singer Anup Jalota is among 128 eminent personalities from the field of performing arts who have bagged the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards for 2019, 2020, 2021, which were announced late on Friday.

Famed as 'Bhajan Samrat', Jalota, 69 - who hails from Lucknow from Uttar Pradesh -- has been selected for the Akademi Puraskar for 2020, in the music category, 10 years after was conferred the Padma Shri.

"I am happy and humbled to see my name for the much coveted Akademi Puraskar. It's like a dream for every artiste to win this award and I am thankful to all for this great honour," Jalota said in his first reaction.

The General Council of SNA or the National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama, met in New Delhi early this month and unanimously elected 10 distinguished persons as Akademi Fellows, each with an award of Rs 3,00,000.

The SNA also selected 128 artists from the fields of music, dance, theatre, traditional folk/tribal music/dance/theatre, puppetry and overall contributions to performing arts for the three-year period, each who will get Rs 1,00,000.

The awardees cover the entire gamut of performing arts like vocal and instrumental music - both Hindustani and Carnatic, flute, sitar, mridangam, Sugam Sangeet and Harikatha; all major Indian and Contemporary dance forms; theatre activities including traditional like Isai Natakam, folk and tribal arts, puppetry and instrument making.

The awardees, hailing from across the country, shall be presented the awards at the hands of President Draupadi Murmu at a special ceremony soon.