Bismillah Khan, often referred to by the title Ustad, was an Indian musician credited with popularizing the shehnai, a reeded woodwind instrument. He played it with such expressive virtuosity that he became a leading Hindustani classical music artist. His name was indelibly linked with the woodwind instrument. While the shehnai had long held importance as a folk instrument played primarily schooled in traditional ceremonies, Khan is credited with elevating its status and bringing it to the concert stage.
Sangeet Natak Akademi is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recognition given to people in the field of performing arts. In 2003, the award consisted of Rs. 50,000, a citation, an angavastram, and a tamrapatra. Since 2009, the cash prize has been increased to ₹1,00,000. The awards are given in the categories of music, dance, theatre, other traditional arts and puppetry, and for contribution/scholarship in performing arts.
Balabhaskar Chandran was an Indian musician, violinist, composer and record producer. He is best known for promoting fusion music in South India. Hailing from a musically affluent family, he was introduced to the world of instrumental music at the age of three by his uncle B. Sasikumar, a laureate in Carnatic music.
Pandit Niladri Kumar is an Indian sitar player and music composer.
Arunima Kumar, Sangeet Natak Akademi Yuva Puraskar awardee for the year of 2008 for Kuchipudi. As a young girl of 9, Arunima acted in the ballet Amrapali. The Kuchipudi Dance Academy formally launched her in 1995 where she performed her Arangetram at the Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi.
Akkarai S. Subhalakshmi is a 21st-century violinist in the field of Carnatic music. She is the daughter of violinist Akkarai Swaminathan. She and her younger musician sister Sornalatha are often referred to as Akkarai sisters in music circles.
Chinta Ravi Bala Krishna is a winner of the Sangeet Natak Akademi’s Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for 2009, a recipient of the singular honor of Yuva Sutradhari at the Siddhendra Yogi Nrityotsav in 2007, a Gold Medallist M.A Kuchipudi, as well as being a winner of a host of other awards.
Manjusha Kulkarni-Patil is a Hindustani classical music vocalist. She belongs to the Gwalior gharana.
Sohini Sengupta is an Indian film and theatre actress. Daughter of actor Rudraprasad Sengupta and Swatilekha Sengupta, who are also active in theatre, Sohini is one of the leading actors of the Bengali theatre group Nandikar. As a member of the group, she has worked with prominent theatre personalities such as Debshankar Halder, Sumanto Gangopadhyay and Parthapratim Deb, and was awarded Sangeet Natak Akademi's 2007 Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for contributions to theatre. She also played a supporting role in Aparna Sen’s film Paromitar Ek Din (2000) for which she won the Best Supporting Actress award at the 2000 National Film Awards.
S. Ballesh Bhajantri is a popular Indian classical Hindustani shehnai player. He is a disciple of shehnai player Ustad Bismillah Khan, he is benares gharana shehnai player and a patiala gharana hindustani vocalist, ghazal singer, Indian playback singer and musician, Ballesh is credited with popularizing the shehnai, a reeded woodwind instrument. He is also a Prasar Bharati's All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan artist.
Murugaboopathy is a Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar award winning playwright from the Tamil Nadu state of India. The award was presented to him in 2011 by Sangeet Natak Akademi.
Dr. Meeta Pandit is a Hindustani Classical vocalist and a leading exponent of the Gwalior Gharana. She is the granddaughter and disciple of Krishnarao Shankar Pandit and daughter of Laxman Krishnarao Pandit. She is the sixth in the unbroken lineage and the first woman in the family to have taken up music as a profession. Presently, she is an assistant professor at Maya Somaiya School of Music and Performing Arts, Somaiya Vidyavihar University, Mumbai.
Mamta Joshi is an Indian Sufi singer from Chandigarh. She was awarded 'Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar' of Sangeet Natak Akademi for the year 2015, for her notable talent in the field of Sufi and folk Music of Punjab. She is an assistant professor in Chandigarh.
Leena Mohanty is a leading exponent of Odissi dance, a disciple of Guru Deba Prasa Das. She is a recipient of the first Ustad Bismillah Khan Youth award, along with receiving the Mahari award, the Sanjukta Panigrahi award and is an empanelled artist of the ICCR. She is a choreographer and has performed internationally. She is the artistic director of Bansi Bilas, Bhubaneshwar, Odisha and heads the Odissi Department of Kalpana Dance Theatre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as well as the Trinayan Dance Centre in New York.
Sarbeswar Bhoi is an Indian folksinger from Kalahandi, India of Sambalpuri folk music. He sang songs such as "Likri Jhkri' and "Lal Jhara Jhara" for the Sambalpuri movie Aadim Vichar, which won National Award for Best Feature Film in Odia Category in 2014.
Meenakshi Srinivasan is an Indian classical dancer and choreographer, and an exponent of the Pandanallur style of Bharatnatyam. She trained under Alarmel Valli and is considered among the most promising soloists of the younger generation of dancers in this traditional style.
Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar is an annual Indian award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi to outstanding artists under 40 who have demonstrated talent in the fields of music, dance and drama. The award is intended to provide national recognition to the artists in the early years of their careers. Every year up to 33 artists are selected. Award winners receive a prize of ₹25,000 (US$310). The award has been conferred since 2006.
Mithun Shyam is an Indian Bharatanatyam dancer, choreographer and teacher based in Bengaluru. He has contributed to social and gender-based themes through classical dance.
Avijit Das is an Indian Kuchipudi performer, teacher, choreographer, and vocalist. He is a recipient of the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for 2021.
