Legends of India Life Achievement Awards are conferred upon living legends who have contributed in taking our art forms to a different platform among the masses in India and abroad. One of India’s most prestigious awards shall be presented on the occasion of 15th Annual Legends of India Sangeet Mahotsav.
The Sangeet Mahotsav is dedicated to Swami Vivekananda on the occasion of his 150thBirth anniversary. The music of Swami Vivekananda ‘Dhrupad’ shall be the central theme of the festival. Swami Shantatmananda, Secretary, Ramkrishna Mission, will grace the occasion.
Vivekananda was an exponent of Dhrupad and he also played the tabla, tanpura, khol and pakhawaj. Dhrupad, a genre of Hindustani classical music is said to be the oldest in use in the music tradition. To be held at the Siri Fort Auditorium December 26-27 the live performances of Uday Bhawalkar (Vocal) Bhai Baldeep Singh (Vocal), Gundecha Brothers in jugalbandi with Igino Brunori and Virginia Nicoli (Saxophone and Flute), Ustad Bahauddin Dagar (Rudra Veena) besides a jugalbandi of flute by Ronu Majumdar and Rajan Sajan Mishra (Vocal).
This year, the award for music shall be conferred upon the internationally renowned Hindustani classical vocalist, Prabha Atre. The award for theatre shall be conferred upon Ebrahim Alkazi is god’s gift to theatre, synonymous with the stage and all its forms. As the director (1962–77) of the National School of Drama, Alkazi catalyzed its emergence as India’s premier theatre training institute.
The award for fine arts shall be conferred upon Himmat Shah who is one of India’s renowned sculptors of terracotta and bronze, exploring materiality as well as texture. The recipients ofthe award are chosen independently by a selection committee comprising of artists, critics and eminent people associated with the arts.