Sumitra Charat Ram Lifetime Achievement Award

About the Award

Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra has completed more than six decades of dedicated work in promoting and propagating various forms of Indian Classical Music and Dance. The Kendra, which started in a small way in 1952, has emerged as one of the leading cultural organisations in the country in the past 66 years.

A large part of the Kendra’s success is attributable to the untiring work, inspiration, and guidance provided by its Founder, Smt. Sumitra Charat Ram. To recognise her invaluable role in reviving, sustaining, and propagating Indian Performing Arts, the Kendra has instituted an annual award dedicated to her. This award is presented every year on her birthday which falls on the 17th of November.

The salient features of the Sumitra Charat Ram Lifetime Achievement Award are as follows:

1. Name of the Award

The award is known as the ‘Sumitra Charat Ram Award for Lifetime Achievement'.

2. Presentation of the Award

The Presentation ceremony takes place every year at Kamani Auditorium on 17th November on the occasion of the birthday of Smt. Sumitra Charat Ram.

3. The Award

The award carries a purse of Rs. 2,00,000, a Citation, a Shawl, and a Silver Plaque. The cash value of the award may be enhanced from time to time as may be felt appropriate by the Governing Council.

4. Criteria of the Award

The award is given to individuals who have excelled in the field of Indian Classical Dance and Music or other disciplines of Indian Art and Culture, including Theatre, and who have had a significant impact in promoting their particular art form.

5. Eligibility

a. The award is open to persons of all nationalities, races, castes, religions, creeds, and genders.

b. There is no lower or upper age limit for nominations for the award.

c. The most important criteria for selecting the awardee is the individual’s achievements in their professional career during the last 15 years, before the date of consideration for the award.

6. Awardees

The prestigious Sumitra Charat Ram Award for Lifetime Achievement was first instituted in 2010. Since then, the award has been conferred upon:

a. Pt. Birju Maharaj – Kathak legend and the first student of Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra
b. Guru Mayadhar Raut – Odissi Dance
c. Vidushi Kishori Amonkar – Hindustani Music (Vocal)
d. Vidushi Kumudini Lakhia – Kathak Dance
e. Pt. Jasraj – Hindustani Music (Vocal)
f. Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia – Hindustani Music (Flute)
g. Vidushi Girija Devi - Hindustani Music (Vocal)
h. Ustad Amjad Ali Khan - Hindustani Music (Sarod)