• ¨     Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 2025 was conferred on Odissi exponent Shubhada Varadkar.

    ¨     The award was presented at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.

    ¨     The award included a cash prize of ₹1,00,000, a Tamrapatra, and an Angavastram.

    ¨     The Sangeet Natak Akademi is India’s national academy for music, dance, and drama.

    ¨     The Akademi was established in 1953 and functions under the Ministry of Culture.

    ¨     It recognises excellence in performing arts through awards and fellowships.

    ¨     The Akademi Puraskar covers fields such as music, dance, theatre, traditional and folk arts, and puppetry.

    ¨     Odissi is one of the eight classical dance forms of India recognised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi.

    ¨     Odissi originated in Odisha and is known for the tribhanga posture, fluid torso movements, and sculptural hand gestures.

    ¨     The dance tradition has roots in temple traditions, devotional performances, and the Mahari and Gotipua traditions of Odisha.

    ¨     Kelucharan Mohapatra is regarded as one of the most prominent modern exponents and gurus of Odissi.

    ¨     Shubhada Varadkar is a Mumbai-based Odissi exponent and a former economics professor at Ruia College.

    ¨     She began studying Odissi after attending a workshop conducted by guru Kelucharan Mohapatra.

    ¨     She has authored the Marathi autobiographical book ‘Mayurpankh’ and the English book ‘The Celestial Plume’.

    ¨     Her family history includes freedom fighters Manohar and Manik Varadkar, who participated in the Quit India Movement.