Pradhan Congratulates Odisha Artists on Sangeet Natak Akademi Honours
Synopsis
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan congratulated artists from across India nominated for Sangeet Natak Akademi honours for 2024 and 2025, with special recognition for over a dozen Odisha artists across the Kendiya Puraskar and Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar categories.
Key Takeaways
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan congratulated nominees for the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship , Kendiya Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar , and Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for 2024 and 2025 .
Seven artists from Odisha — including Guru Bichitrananda Swain and Sambalpuri dance scholar Ranjit Kumar Nag — were nominated for the Kendiya Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar .
Five young Odia artists, including Matru Prasad Das and Shubhashree Swain , were nominated for the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar .
The Sangeet Natak Akademi was established in 1952 and remains India's apex body for recognising excellence in performing arts.
The Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar was instituted in 2006 for artists under the age of 40 .
Pradhan said the achievements would inspire future generations to stay connected with Odisha's ancient artistic traditions.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday, 10 June 2026 congratulated artists from across India nominated for the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, the Kendiya Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar, and the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for the years 2024 and 2025, with a special mention for the multiple awardees from Odisha.
Context
Posting in Odia, the minister extended congratulations to all nominated artists nationwide before singling out the Odisha recipients. Among those nominated for the Kendiya Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar from Odisha are Guru Bichitrananda Swain, Sambalpuri dance scholar Ranjit Kumar Nag, Pagulu Jena, Sachidananda Das, Subodh Pattnaik, Iliana Citaristi, and Sushanta Kumar Mahapatra.
For the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar, the minister congratulated young Odia artists Matru Prasad Das, Gaurishankar Dash, Devi Prasad Mishra, Shubhashree Swain, and Namrata Meheta. He described their contribution in carrying Odisha's art and folk culture to national and international stages as 'atulania' — incomparable.
Policy Backdrop
The Sangeet Natak Akademi, established in 1952 under the Ministry of Culture, is India's apex body for the recognition of excellence in music, dance, and drama. It operates as an autonomous institution and confers awards annually to senior practitioners as well as emerging artists across classical, folk, and tribal performing arts forms.
The Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar was instituted in 2006, the year the legendary shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan passed away, to honour artists below the age of 40. The award is intended to sustain the guru-shishya tradition and incentivise younger generations to pursue classical and folk performing arts as a vocation.
Stakeholders and Impact
Odissi dance and Sambalpuri folk traditions are among the most recognised performing arts forms from eastern India, and the nomination of multiple practitioners in a single cycle underscores the state's sustained contribution to India's intangible cultural heritage. Guru Bichitrananda Swain and Ranjit Kumar Nag, in particular, represent senior guardians of classical and folk dance lineages in Odisha.
The minister noted that these achievements would serve as inspiration for the next generation of young artists in Odisha to remain connected with the state's ancient knowledge and artistic traditions. Pradhan, himself from Odisha, has consistently highlighted the state's cultural legacy in his public communications as a senior Union minister.
What's Next
Formal investiture ceremonies for the Sangeet Natak Akademi awards are typically held in New Delhi and are presided over by the President of India, with the Ministry of Culture coordinating logistics. The recognition is expected to open doors for the nominated artists to participate in government-supported cultural festivals and exchange programmes at the national level.
With both senior and young artists from Odisha receiving nominations across categories, the state's performing arts ecosystem is likely to receive renewed attention in upcoming cultural policy discussions and grant cycles under the Ministry of Culture.
Point of View
Framing a national cultural award cycle through an Odisha-specific lens — a pattern consistent with his identity as the state's most prominent Union minister. By naming each recipient individually, he amplifies the visibility of Odissi and Sambalpuri traditions within the BJP's cultural nationalism framework, which has long positioned India's classical and folk heritage as soft-power assets. The dual recognition of senior gurus and young artists in the same cycle signals institutional continuity in the guru-shishya model that cultural policy has sought to protect. Broader significance lies in how national academies are increasingly used as instruments of federal cultural diplomacy, ensuring that state-specific art forms receive central validation.
NationPress
27 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar?
The Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar is India's national award for outstanding contribution to music, dance, and drama, conferred annually by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, which was established in 1952 under the Ministry of Culture.
Who is the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for?
The Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar is awarded to performing artists below the age of 40 to encourage young talent in classical and folk arts. It was instituted in 2006 in memory of the legendary shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan.
Which Odisha artists were nominated for the 2024-2025 Sangeet Natak Akademi awards?
Seven artists from Odisha — Guru Bichitrananda Swain, Ranjit Kumar Nag, Pagulu Jena, Sachidananda Das, Subodh Pattnaik, Iliana Citaristi, and Sushanta Kumar Mahapatra — were nominated for the Kendiya Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar, while Matru Prasad Das, Gaurishankar Dash, Devi Prasad Mishra, Shubhashree Swain, and Namrata Meheta were nominated for the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar.
Why did Dharmendra Pradhan congratulate Sangeet Natak Akademi nominees?
As Union Education Minister and a senior leader from Odisha, Pradhan congratulated the nominees to acknowledge their contribution in taking Odissi dance, music, and folk culture to national and international platforms.
When were the 2024 and 2025 Sangeet Natak Akademi nominees announced?
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's congratulatory post was published on 10 June 2026, suggesting the nomination list for the 2024 and 2025 cycles was released around that date, though the formal investiture ceremony date has not been announced.
