Sugama Sangeeta singer M.K. Jayashri from Bengaluru and Katha Keerthane exponent Pt. Shivaraja Shastry from Koppala have been chosen for the lifetime achievement award by the Karnataka Sangeeta Nritya Academy for the year 2015-2016. Sixteen have been chosen for the Karnataka Kalashri Awards, which will be conferred by Minister for Kannada & Culture, Umashree on December 19.
Those receiving the Kalashri awards, include Rama Lalitha Kala Mandira in Bengaluru, in the institution category for serving the cause of music for its 60-year music propagation, Gudibande Kumaraswamy, Rajalakshmi Sridhar, M.R. Sainath and Virupasandra Gopalakrishnachar. In the Hindustani category, Humayun Harlapura, R.V. Hegde, Eranna Jalibenchi and Vadiraj Nimbaragi have been selected while those selected in the Dance category includes Usha Venugopal, A.N. Sudhir Kumar and Rama Jagannath; G.Pushpalatha for Sugama Sangeeta, N.K. Mohan Kumar for Katha Kirthana; The Gamaka awardees include A.V. Prasanna & Nirmala Prasanna and Krishnagiri Ramachandra. The occasion will also include the academy’s special publication release of dancer Veena Murthy Vijay’s Kannada book on Kuchipudi,‘Tere’ which traces the origin and growth of Kuchipudi in Karnataka that began sometime during the 13th to 15th Centuries during the Vijayanagar rule. ‘Mahati’ – an introductory book with profiles on the awardees would also be released. “With respect to the academy’s annual budget for its activities, 15 per cent is earmarked for its special book publications every year,” said T.G. Narasimha Murthy, Registrar, Karnataka Sangeeta Nritya Academy.
