Forty-three eminent artists were presented the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship and Sangeet Natak Awards for 2018 while the Lalit Kala Akademi's Fellowship and National Awards for 2021 were given to 23 people by Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu at a joint ceremony in New Delhi on April 9.
The Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards are national honours bestowed by the Government on performing artists as well as teachers and scholars in the field of performing arts. The awards are given in the categories of music, dance, and theatre. In addition, one category is reserved for traditional, folk, and tribal dance, music, theatre and puppetry. An award each was also given for overall contribution and scholarship in Performing Arts.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Naidu pitched for recognising the unsung heroes of the country, saying art forms such as cinema and music should be used to highlight their sacrifices. He lamented that people know about Robert Clive, but little was known about freedom fighters and historical figures such as Maharana Pratap, Chhatrapati Shivaji, Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitaram Raju.
