Historian and orator Laxmish Sonda of Mangaluru has been chosen for the annual Ravi Datar Award instituted by Natyanjali Nritya Kendra. The award will be presented on February 15.
President of Natyanjali Nritya Kendra Pradeep Bhat told presspersons in Hubballi on Saturday that Mr. Sonda had contributed a great deal to historical research and had been organising annual history conferences. He had also penned various historical plays, he said.
He would be honoured with the award during the ‘Jati Vasant’ dance drama festival organised to mark the 26th anniversary of Natyanjali Kendra, Mr. Bhat said. The award carries a purse of ₹8,000 and a citation. The event will be held at Sawai Gandharva Hall in Hubballi on Tuesday.
Mr. Bhat said the kendra would be honouring two young artists, Nirupama Kulkarni and Apurva Patil, with ‘Ravi Datar Puraskar’ on the same occasion. The award carries a purse of ₹3,000 and a citation. AIR announcer Shashidhar Narenra, director of Dharwad Rangayana Ramesh S. Paravinaikar and others would be guests.
Dancer Sahana Bhat said that two dance dramas ‘Prakruti’ and ‘Jhansi Rani Laxmibai’ would be staged during the anniversary. While ‘Prakruti’ will be staged by students of the kendra, the other one would be staged by senior Bharatanatya artists, including herself, she said.
