106 young artists conferred with Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar

• Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat conferred the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for the years 2024 and 2025 to 106 young artists in the field of music, dance and drama in New Delhi on October 19.

Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar

• Sangeet Natak Akademi instituted Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar in 2006 to be awarded to artists who have shown/demonstrated conspicuous talent in the fields of music, dance and drama. 

• Young outstanding practitioners up to the age of 40 years are eligible to be considered for Yuva Puraskar every year. 

• Age as on the date of nomination received will be reckoned from April 1 of that year.

• Each Yuva Puraskar carries a prize money of Rs 25,000 and a tamrapatra to be issued under the seal of Akademi and signature of its chairman.

• A person who has received the Puraskar once will not be eligible for the same Puraskar under any other field/category.

The Yuva Puraskar may be given in the following fields of activity:

1) Music 

2) Dance

3) Theatre

4) Traditional / Folk / Tribal Dance/ Music/ Theatre and Puppetry

5) Contribution/Scholarship in Performing Arts.

Who was Ustad Bismillah Khan?

• Ustad Bismillah Khan was born on March 21, 1916 in Dumraon, Bihar. He moved to Banaras at the age of six to train under his uncle who was a shehnai player at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. 

• He transformed shehnai from a folk instrument played primarily at marriages in north India to a classical instrument of much impact and melody. 

• He is recognised for his immaculate pitch perfection and impeccable execution of the meends, pukars, khatkas, murkis, zamzamas, taans and gamaks.

• Ustad Bismillah Khan had the rare honour of playing the shehnai on the eve of India’s independence in the year 1947. 

• He became the third classical musician to have been awarded the Bharat Ratna in 2001.

• He passed away on August 21, 2006.