Context:

• President Ram Nath Kovind gave away the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards 2017 at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
• Forty-two artists from the fields including Music, Dance, Theatre, Traditional, Folk, and Tribal music were awarded.  Eleven eminent artists were selected in the field of Music.
• They include Lalith J Rao, Umakant and Ramakant Gundecha in the field of Hindustani Vocal music and MS Sheela in Carnatic music.
• Nine artists were awarded in Dance category including Ramakrishna Talukdar for Sattriya and Rama Vaidyanathan for Bharatnatyam. Nine artists were chosen for the award in Theatre.
• Ten artists were awarded in the category of Traditional, Folk and Tribal Music. Vijay Verma and Sandhya Purecha were awarded for their overall contribution to the Performing Arts. The award carries a cash prize of one lakh rupees, a Tamrapatra and Angavastram.

Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards:

• General Council of the Sangeet Natak Akademi, an autonomous body of the Ministry of Culture had selected the awardees. Established in 1952, the Award not only symbolizes the highest standards of excellence and achievements but also recognizes sustained individual work and contribution.
• The Sangeet Natak Akademi’s Fellowships and Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards are recognised as among most coveted national honours bestowed on performing artists as well as teachers and scholars of performing arts in the country. They are given by Sangeet Natak Akademi, India’s National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama
• Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards are given in categories of music, dance, theatre, other traditional arts and puppetry, and for contribution and scholarship in performing arts. The award since 2003 consists of Rs. 1 lakh, a citation, an angavastram (shawl), and tamrapatra (brass plaque).