• ¨  President Droupadi Murmu presented the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowships and Awards for the 2024 and 2025 cycles at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, on 13 August 2026.

    ¨     The honours recognised artists from various States and Union Territories across music, dance, theatre, puppetry and folk traditions.

    ¨     The Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, also known as Akademi Ratna, is the highest honour of the Sangeet Natak Akademi.

    ¨     A total of 7 artists received the Akademi Fellowship for the 2024 and 2025 cycles.

    The fellowship recipients were

    1.     Ramlal Bareth

    2.     Rita Ganguly

    3.     Puru Dadheech

    4.     Chittaranjan Jyotishi

    5.     Pasumarthi Rattaiah Sarma

    6.     Sudharani Raghupath

    7.     A. V. Anand

    The Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards, also known as Akademi Puraskar, are presented for excellence in India’s performing arts.A total of 115 artists were selected for the combined 2024 and 2025 award cycles.The awardees represented disciplines including Hindustani music, Carnatic music, Bharatanatyam, Kathak, theatre, puppetry, Nautanki, Sambalpuri and Kalbeliya.Each Akademi Fellow receives ₹3 lakh, a Tamrapatra and an Angavastram.Each Akademi Awardee receives ₹1 lakh, a Tamrapatra and an Angavastram.The Sangeet Natak Akademi was established in 1953 as India’s national academy for music, dance and drama.Akademi Ratna is the highest honour conferred by the Sangeet Natak Akademi.Kalbeliya is a traditional folk dance associated with Rajasthan.