The Sangeet Natak Akademi General Council selected 106 young artists for the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for 2024 and 2025 at a meeting held in New Delhi from 22 to 26 March 2026. The awards are scheduled to be conferred by Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on 19 October 2026 at the Meghdoot Complex, Rabindra Bhavan, New Delhi.
Sangeet Natak Akademi
The Sangeet Natak Akademi is India’s national academy for music, dance and drama. Established in 1953, it functions as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Culture. Its work includes promoting and preserving India’s performing arts traditions. The Akademi’s activities cover classical and folk forms, theatre, puppetry and other traditional performance practices.
Yuva Puraskar: Eligibility and Award
Instituted in 2006, the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar recognises young artists under the age of 40 for achievements in music, dance and drama. Each recipient receives ₹25,000, a Tamrapatra and an Angavastram. The award is named after Ustad Bismillah Khan, the Indian shehnai maestro who received the Bharat Ratna in 2001.
2024 Theatre and Assam Awardees
The 2024 theatre awardees include Prasanna Kumar Soni, Atul Satya Koushik, Bidyut Kumar Nath, Arpita Dhagat, Anirudh Sarkar, K Veerammal, Rohit Chandra, Kalamandalam Ravikumar and Debiprasad Mishra. From Assam, Minakshi Medhi was selected for Sattriya Dance, Dilip Hira for Folk Music and Bidyut Kumar Nath for Theatre Direction.
Important Facts for Exams
- The Sangeet Natak Akademi was established in 1953 as India’s national academy for music, dance and drama.
- The Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar was instituted in 2006 for artists below 40 years of age.
- Ustad Bismillah Khan received the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, in 2001.
- The 2024 and 2025 awards together recognise 106 young artists across performing arts disciplines.
