By Aminul Islam Mirja
NEW DELHI, Feb 16, 2019 (BSS) – India has selected Bangladesh’s leading
cultural group Chhayanaut for its state-sponsored prestigious “Tagore Award
for Cultural Harmony”, an official statement said here today.
It said Indian President Ram Nath Kovind would hand over the award at a
ceremony on Monday to Chhayanaut for the year 2015 for its outstanding
contribution for promoting values of cultural harmony at the Pravasi Bhartiya
Kendra in New Delhi.
Chhayanaut was established in 1961 to promote and nurture the cultural and
musical heritage of Bengal amid an adverse political environment while it
stages every year a big programme to celebrate the Pahela Boishakh.
Octogenerian Rajkumar Singhajit Sing, a leading exponent, choreographer
and Indian classical dance guru and nonagenarian Indian sculptor Ram Sutar
Vanji are two others to receive the honour for the year 2014 and 2016 at the
same ceremony for their contribution for promoting values of cultural harmony
as well.
India instituted the Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony in 2012, in
recognition of Gurudev’s contribution to humanity at large with his works and
ideas, coinciding with his 150th birth anniversary.
Individuals, associations, institutions or organizations are conferred
annually with the award for their outstanding contribution towards promoting
values of cultural harmony while it carried an amount of one crore Indian
rupee, a citation in a scroll, a plaque as well as an exquisite traditional
handicraft item.
Indian Sitar Maestro Pt. Ravi Shankar and Maestro Zubin Mehta were the
first two recipients of the award in 2012 and 2013.