Sangita Kalanidhi and Nritya Kalanidhi Awards

March 20, 2023

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The Madras Music Academy has announced the winner of the Sangita Kalanidhi and Nritya Kalanidhi for the year 2023.

About

Carnatic vocalist Bombay Jayashri has been selected for the Sangita Kalanidhi award.
- She is known for her melodic and meditative style of singing and is recognised by a Padma Shri from the Indian government.
The Nritiya Kalanidhi award for dance goes to Vasanthalakshmi Narasimhachari.
- She excels both in Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi.

Sangita Kalanidhi Award

It is considered the highest accolade in the field of Carnatic music.
It came into existence in 1942.
- Prior to that, a senior musician/expert was invited to preside over the Music Academy’s annual conference.
In 1942, it was decided that the musician so invited would be conferred the title of Sangita Kalanidhi, the award comprising a gold medal and a birudu patra (citation).

Nritya Kalanidhi award

It is presented in the field of dance every year by the Madras Music Academy.

Sangita Kala Acharya

Instituted in 2012 by Dr Engikollai Krishnan and Dr Leela Krishnan it is conferred each year in January on a senior dancer at the inauguration of the annual dance festival.

About Madras Music Academy

It is a landmark institution in the history of the fine arts. It emerged as an offshoot of the All India Congress Session held in Madras in December 1927.
It was conceived to be the institution that would set the standard for Carnatic music.
It also confers the various awards such as the Sangita Kalanidhi, Nritya Kalanidhi, Sangita Kala Acharya, TTK, and Musicologist awards for the year.

Carnatic Music

Carnatic music or Carnatic sangeet is the south Indian classical music.
Carnatic Sangeet has developed in the south Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. These states are known for their strong presentation of Dravidian culture.
Purandardas is considered to be the father of Carnatic music.
In Carnatic music there is a very highly developed theoretical system. It is based upon a complex system of Ragam (Raga) and Thalam (Tala). Raga is basically the scale and the seven notes of this scale are Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha and Ni.
The Tala (thalam) is the rhythmic foundation of Carnatic music.
Notable Carnatic music exponents are Papanasam Shivan, Gopala Krishna Bharati, Swati Tirunal, Mysore Vasudevachar, Narayan Tirtha, Uttukadu Venkatasubbair, Arunagiri Nathar and Annamacharya.