Bhubaneswar: Three artists from Odisha will be conferred with the prestigious Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar on Friday.
Arupa Gayatri Panda has been selected for the award for the year 2022 in the category of dance for Odissi. The Bhubaneswar-based artiste began learning Odissi at a very young age and went on to hone her skills by joining dance school of Sarita Mishra. She received the Sanjukta Panigrahi scholarship when in Class IX. She joined Gangadhar Pradhan’s Odisha Dance Academy in 1999, which opened up opportunities to showcase her dance prowess.
Similarly, Odissi dancer Debasish Pattnaik will receive Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar-2023 as an acknowledgement of his achievements as a promising young artiste. Folk dancer and musician Alok Bishoyi will also be awarded for the same year.
They will receive Rs 25,000, a plaque and an angavastram.
“Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat will confer Ustad Bismilliah Khan Yuva Puraskar for the years 2022 and 2023 on 82 young artistes in a special ceremony, tomorrow, November 22 at 11 am at Dr Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi. The award ceremony will be presided over by Chairman, Sangeet Natak Akademi, Sandhya Purecha and Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Uma Nanduri,” a PIB release said on Thursday.
Sangeet Natak Akademi instituted the award in the name of Ustad Bismillah Khan in 2006 for young performing art practitioners. It is given annually to outstanding young artistes up to the age of 40 years in the fields of music, dance, drama, folk and tribal arts and puppetry in a special ceremony held in Delhi and also outside Delhi. y.