Two young Sattriya dance artistes and a mime artist of Assam were selected for the prestigious Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar 2013 and 2014 by the Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA) in its general council meeting held recently in New Delhi.
Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar, instituted in the name of the noted Shehnai maestro Late Ustad Bismillah Khan in 2006 for identifying and encouraging outstanding young talents in diverse fields of performing arts, is given to the artistes below 40 years of age, said a press release issued by the Secretary, Sangeet Natak Akademi.
The two Sattriya artistes of Assam who have been named as the recipients of the Yuva Puraskar are – Mridusmita Das and Anwesa Mahanta. Pranjal Gogoi will receive the award for mime art.
Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar carries a cash prize of Rs 25,000. The Yuva Puraskar will be presented at a special ceremony, presided over by the Chairman, Sangeet Natak Akademi in the coming months.
The SNA has selected altogether 66 artistes of the country for the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for the years 2013 and 2014. These artistes include 16 recipients each in the field of music, dance – including Mridusmita and Anwesa, – theatre, and in the fields of traditional/folk/tribal music/dance/theatre and puppetry.