CM Nayab Saini Hails Hawa Singh Nath's Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Synopsis
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has congratulated been player Hawa Singh Nath Soda of Rajolka village, Palwal, on receiving the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award-2024 from President Draupadi Murmu, calling it an honour for Haryana's entire folk and cultural heritage.
Key Takeaways
Hawa Singh Nath Soda of Rajolka village, Palwal, Haryana has been awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award-2024 .
The award was conferred by President Draupadi Murmu .
Soda is an internationally recognised player of the been , a traditional north Indian wind instrument.
The Sangeet Natak Akademi , established in 1952 , is India's apex body for performing arts recognition.
CM Nayab Singh Saini framed the honour as a recognition of Haryana's broader folk and cultural heritage.
A folk musician from a small Haryana village has earned one of India's highest performing-arts honours — and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini made sure the country took note. On 14 August 2026, CM Saini congratulated Shri Hawa Singh Nath Soda of Rajolka village, Palwal district, on receiving the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award-2024, conferred by President Draupadi Murmu.
Posting on X, CM Saini wrote: 'पलवल के गाँव रजोलका के प्रसिद्ध अंतरराष्ट्रीय बीन वादक श्री हवा सिंह नाथ जी को प्रतिष्ठित संगीत नाटक अकादमी पुरस्कार-2024 से सम्मानित होने पर हार्दिक बधाई।' ['Heartfelt congratulations to the renowned international been player Shri Hawa Singh Nath Ji of Rajolka village, Palwal, on being honoured with the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award-2024.'] He added that the recognition, received from 'the lotus hands of the honourable President Smt. Draupadi Murmu', was equally an honour for Haryana's rich folk arts and cultural heritage.
Who Is Hawa Singh Nath Soda — and What Is the Been?
Hawa Singh Nath Soda is an internationally recognised player of the been — a wind instrument with deep roots in north Indian folk and Nath tradition, distinct from the classical pungi and closely associated with rural Haryana's intangible cultural heritage. Rajolka, a village in Palwal, one of Haryana's southern districts, has quietly produced folk artists whose reach extends well beyond state borders. Soda's craft represents decades of dedicated practice in a tradition that has rarely commanded mainstream spotlight.Sangeet Natak Akademi: Seven Decades of Honouring Performing Arts
Established in 1952, the Sangeet Natak Akademi is India's apex body for music, dance, and drama. Its annual awards are among the most coveted in the performing-arts world, recognising excellence across classical, folk, and tribal traditions. The 2024 awards, presented by President Murmu, placed a village been player from Palwal in the same pantheon as the country's finest stage artists — a signal that folk forms are not footnotes in India's cultural canon.Haryana's Folk Identity on a National Stage
CM Saini framed the honour in explicitly collective terms, saying the award was a recognition of 'Haryana's rich folk art and cultural heritage' and conveying congratulations 'on behalf of every Haryanvi.' That framing is deliberate: state governments across India increasingly tie national cultural awards to regional identity, using moments like this to assert the vitality of local traditions. For Haryana, a state whose cultural contributions are often overshadowed by its neighbours, a Sangeet Natak Akademi award to a been player from Palwal carries real symbolic weight. The Chief Minister closed with a wish: that Soda's 'dedication and talent continue to illuminate Haryana's name across the country and the world.' For an artist who has carried a centuries-old instrument onto international stages, that light is already burning.Point of View
But Saini's framing — calling the honour a recognition of 'every Haryanvi' — reflects a deliberate effort to anchor Haryana's political identity in folk-cultural pride rather than only agrarian or industrial narratives. The been, a marginal instrument in mainstream discourse, gaining Sangeet Natak Akademi recognition signals a gradual broadening of what the national awards ecosystem counts as culturally significant. For the BJP government in Haryana, spotlighting a Dalit-associated Nath tradition artist also carries quiet social messaging. Watch whether this translates into concrete state cultural policy support for folk instrument practitioners.
NationPress
14 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Hawa Singh Nath Soda?
Hawa Singh Nath Soda is an internationally recognised been player from Rajolka village in Palwal district, Haryana, honoured with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award-2024 for his contributions to Indian folk music.
What is the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award?
The Sangeet Natak Akademi Award is India's highest national honour in the performing arts — music, dance, and drama — conferred annually by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, which was established in 1952.
Who presented the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 2024?
President Draupadi Murmu presented the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award-2024 to the recipients, including been player Hawa Singh Nath Soda.
What is a been instrument?
The been is a traditional north Indian wind instrument with deep roots in folk and Nath traditions, particularly associated with rural Haryana and Rajasthan. It is distinct from the classical pungi.
Why did Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini congratulate Hawa Singh Nath Soda?
CM Nayab Singh Saini congratulated Soda on receiving the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award-2024, framing the honour as a recognition of Haryana's rich folk arts and cultural heritage on behalf of all Haryanvis.
