Lata Mangeshkar Award 2024 Announced for Veteran Singer Anuradha Paudwal

Mumbai : The Department of Cultural Affairs has announced various prestigious awards today. Veteran singer Anuradha Paudwal has been honored with the Lata Mangeshkar Award for the year 2024. Alongside this, several other awards have also been announced, including the Natvarya Prabhakar Panashikar Theater Lifetime Achievement Award, the Sangeetcharya Annasaheb Kirloskar Sangeet Theater Lifetime Achievement Award, the Bharat Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Classical Music Lifetime Achievement Award, the Gyanoba Tukaram Award, the Tamasha Empress Withabai Narayangaonkar Lifetime Achievement Award, and twelve State Cultural Awards. These announcements were made by the Minister of Cultural Affairs, Sudhir Mungantiwar.

The awards have been recommended by an expert committee chaired by the Minister of Cultural Affairs. These awards recognize the contributions of individuals across various fields, and the Minister of Culture, Mr. Mungantiwar, has extended his congratulations to all the awardees.

Anuradha Paudwal has been awarded the Lata Mangeshkar Award 2024 for her consistent and invaluable contributions to the field of music and singing. Additionally, Aarti Anklekar-Tikekar has been honored with the Bharat Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Classical Music Lifetime Achievement Award 2024 for her dedication to classical music.

The Natvarya Prabhakar Panashikar Theater Lifetime Achievement Award 2024 has been announced for Prakash Budhisagar for his significant contributions to Marathi theatre. Shubhada Dadarkar has been awarded the Sangeetcharya Annasaheb Kirloskar Sangeet Rangbhumi Lifetime Achievement Award 2024 for her exceptional contributions to musical theatre.

Sanjayji Maharaj Pachpore has been awarded the Gyanoba Tukaram Award 2024 for his writings on saint literature and humanitarian work dedicated to saints. The Tamashasmaragyi Withabai Narayangaonkar Lifetime Achievement Award 2023 has been awarded to Sasikala Zhumbar Sukre, and the 2024 award has been announced for Janardhan Vaidande. This award is given to a senior distinguished artist who has served for a long time in the field of tamasha.

Minister Mungantiwar also announced the State Cultural Awards 2024, to be given by the Directorate of Cultural Affairs. These awards cover twelve categories, with one award in each category. The 2024 Drama Department Award goes to Vishakha Subhedar, the Sub-Classical Music category award to Dr. Vikas Kashalkar, and the Vocal Music category award to Sudesh Bhosale. Other recipients include Abhimanyu Dharmaji Savdekar in the Folk Art category, Shahir Rajendra Kamble in the Shahiri category, Mrs. Sonia Parchure in the Dance category, and Mrs. Rohini Hattangadi in the Film category. Additionally, Sanjay Nana Dhondge has received the Kirtan Enlightenment Award, Pandurang Mukde has been awarded in the Instrumental Music category, Nagesh Surve (Rishiraj) in the Fine Arts category, Kailas Maruti Sawant in the Tamasha category, and Shivram Shankar Dhute in the Tribal Girijan category.

The monetary amount for the Lifetime Achievement Awards given by the Directorate of Cultural Affairs has been doubled since last year. Previously, the award consisted of a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh, a certificate, and a badge of honor. This has now been increased to Rs 10 lakh in cash, along with a badge of honor and a certificate. The amount for the State Cultural Award has been tripled, from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 3 lakh in cash, along with a certificate and a badge of honor.

Minister Mungantiwar has congratulated all the awardees and expressed hope that these honored artists will continue to contribute to the cultural sector in the future. He assured that the Department of Cultural Affairs is committed to supporting the state’s artists through various means and that new schemes for artists will be implemented in the future. He also mentioned that all these awards will be conferred with due honor in the near future.