Ustad Bismillah Khan, often referred to by the title Ustad, was an Indian musician credited with popularizing the shehnai, a reeded woodwind instrument. His virtuosity made him a leading Hindustani classical music artist, indelibly linking his name with the woodwind instrument. While the shehnai had importance as a folk instrument played primarily by musicians schooled in traditional ceremonies, Khan elevated its status and brought it to the concert stage.
Sangeet Natak Akademi is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India. It is an autonomous body of the Ministry of Culture, 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.
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 a number of awards:
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.
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.
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.
Geetanjali Sharma is an Indian Folk exponent and a Kathak dancer. She is the disciple of Uma Dogra, the senior disciple of Pt. Durga Lal who was the Kathak maestro from Jaipur Gharana. She has been performing dance in India and abroad for more than 24 years.
Sangeet Natak Akademi Tagore Ratna and Sangeet Natak Akademi Tagore Puraskar were performing arts awards given at special events organised by Sangeet Natak Akademi in
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.
Manoj Kumar Das is an Indian musician from Barpeta, Assam. As a Khol player, he is known to have contributed towards the propagation of the culture of Satra. Das, who is associated with the Barpeta Satra, have been awarded the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar in 2018 for his contribution in the field of traditional music of Assam.
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.
Kapila Venu is a Koodiyattam and Nangiar Koothu artist from Kerala, India. She received many awards including the Kumar Gandharva Samman by the government of Madhya Pradesh and Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar from the Sangeet Natak Akademi.
Manjiri Asanare–Kelkar is an Indian Hindustani classical vocalist from Sangli, Maharashtra. She is a follower of Jaipur-Atrauli gharana tradition in Hindustani khyal. She received many awards including Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar by Sangeet Natak Akademi and Kumar Gandharva Samman by the government of Madhya Pradesh.
P. Praveen Kumar is an Indian dancer specialized in the classical dance form Bharatanatyam.
