Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for Mahalaxmi Shenoy

Karkala: Mahalaxmi Shenoy, Hindustani classical vocalist from Karkala, has been conferred the prestigious Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar 2024 by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, Government of India, for her contribution to Hindustani classical vocal music.

Union Cabinet Minister for Culture and Tourism, Gajendra Singh Shekawat presented the award to her at a function held at Ravindra Bhavan in Delhi on October 19. Present on the occasion were Sangeet Natak Akademi Chairperson Sandhya Purecha, Vice-President and Rajasthani folk singer Ustad Anwer Hussain Manghaniar, and Vivek Agarwal.

She is the first artiste from the coastal Karnataka region to receive this coveted national honour. Shenoy is the foremost vocal disciple of Grammy Award-winning Mohan Veena maestro and Padma Bhushan awardee Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt.

The Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar is given annually by the Sangeet Natak Akademi to young artists below the age of 40 for outstanding contribution in the fields of music, dance and theatre.

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