Sangita Kalanidhi Awards

In news– Recently, the Music Academy has announced Sangita Kalanidhi award winners for the years 2020, 2021 and 2022.

About Sangita Kalanidhi Awards-

It is the title awarded yearly to a Carnatic musician by the Madras Music Academy.
It is considered the highest accolade in the field of Carnatic music.
The idea of the award was conceived in 1942 by the then Academy President KV Krishnaswami Iyer and on 1 January 1943, all musicians who had presided over the annual conferences between 1929 and 1942 were awarded the title.
This included 3 past presidents – Palamarneri Swaminatha Iyer (1931), Umayalpuram Swaminatha Iyer (1936) and Mangudi Chidambara Bhagavatar (1937) – who were no more, but no posthumous award has been presented since then.

Award winners-

Noted vocalist and teacher Neyveli R. Santhanagopalan has been selected for the award for 2020, mridangam maestro Tiruvarur Baktavatsalam for 2021 and violinists Lalgudi GJR Krishnan and his sister GJR Vijayalakshmi for 2022.
Nagaswaram player Kizhvelur G. Ganesan has been selected for the Sangita Kala Acharya award for 2020, vocalist and musicologist Ritha Rajan for 2021 and musicologist Vainika R.S. Jayalakshmi for 2022.
The TTK award for 2020 goes to vocalist Thamarakkad Govindan Namboothiri.
Mridhangam and jalatarangam player Nemani Somayajulu will get the award for 2021 and kanjira artist A.V. Anand for 2022.
Musicologist award for 2022 goes to V. Premalatha.
The Nritya Kalanidhi awardees are Rama Vaidhyanathan (2020), Narthaki Nataraj (2021) and Bragha Bessell (2022).

About Madras Music Academy-

It emerged as an offshoot of the All India Congress Session held in Madras in December 1927.
A music conference was held along with it and during the deliberations, the idea of a Music Academy emerged.
Inaugurated on August 18, 1928 at the YMCA Auditorium, Esplanade by Sir CP Ramaswami Aiyar, it was conceived to be the institution that would set the standard for Carnatic music.
In the process, it began in 1929 the practice of hosting annual conferences on music, which in turn spawned the December music festival of Madras, one of the largest cultural events of the world.

Various awards given by the academy are-