Nritya Kalanidhi for Rama Vaidyanathan, Narthaki Nataraj and Bragha Bessel

Her pleasant countenance, unhurried approach, disciplined focus and elegant rendition have all earned her accolades from across the canvass. Not surprisingly, art critic late Subbudu described Jayashri as the “Steffi Graf of Carnatic Music”.

The Music Academy has chosen Vasanthalakshmi Narasimhachari for the Nritya Kalanidhi award. An all rounder with high aesthetic skills, Vasanthalakshmi is quite at home both in Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi. “She is a gifted linguist, lyricist and an accomplished nattuvanar. She learnt Veena from Kamala Aswathama and dance from Adayar K. Lakshmanan and her husband M.V. Narasimhachari

More than anybody else, mother Seetha Subramaniam is the one who shaped the musician in Bombay Jayashri. Today, Seetha should be a happy mother.

She will be teaching six kritis based on the 6 deities that are part of Shanmatam.

The Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar carries a purse of Rs. 25,000. The Yuva Puraskar will be presented at a special ceremony by the Chairman, Sangeet Natak Akademi.

Among the awardees are: Gowri Kuppuswamy, Anasuya Kulkarni (Carnatic Vocal), Mangad Natesan (Carnatic Vocal), R. Ramani (Carnatic Veena) and Kolanka Laxman Rao (Mridangam).

The Fellowship of the Akademi is the most prestigious and rare honour, which is restricted to 40 at any given time.

The festival, hosted by Sundaram Finance, is about celebrating the rich traditions of the country.