Gloucester Nongbet to receive Sangeet Natak Akademi Amrit Award

 SHILLONG: The Vice President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar, will present the one-time Sangeet Natak Akademi Amrit Awards on the occasion of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to 84 artistes from the field of performing arts in India who are above the age of 75 and haven’t been accorded any national honour in their career so far.

Addressing a press conference on Friday, Chairman of Sangeet Natak Akademi Dr. Sandhya Purecha said that the Sangeet Natak Akademi Amrit Awards are a national honour bestowed on performing artistes as well as teachers and scholars in the field of performing arts. The recipients are selected by the Akademi’s General Council, consisting of distinguished musicians, dancers, theatre artistes and scholars in these disciplines, as well as nominees from the Government of India, state governments, and union territories. She further informed that the honorary carries a purse of Rs 1 lakh besides a Tamrapatra and an Angavastram.

The Sangeet Natak Akademi Amrit Awards will be conferred by the Vice President of India in a special ceremony on September 16 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, in the presence of the Minister of Law and Justice (Independent Charge), Minister of State for Culture and Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal, and Minister of State for Culture and External Affairs Smt. Meenakashi Lekhi.

Gloucester Nongbet will receive the award from Meghalaya in the field of folk music. Born on July 8, 1938, in Shillong, in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya, Gloucester Nongbet was initiated in the field of folk music in Meghalaya at an early age. He is a retired IRS officer of the Department of Customs, Government of Meghalaya.

Gloucester Nongbet is a passionate and accomplished folk singer, composer, and musician with a specialization in Duitara, a string musical instrument of the Khasi community. He is also specialized in Duitara-making and can play folk music instruments like the king, a traditional percussion instrument, the flute, the guitar, and the electronic piano with dexterity. Gloucester Nongbet has written and composed more than a hundred folk songs on nature, patriotism, and devotional themes.

He is an ‘A’-grade artiste on All India Radio and Doordarshan. He has given innumerable performances within the state and in other parts of the country. He has written many scripts for theatre and regional films and acted in the Khasi movie Sha Ba Sep Ka Sngi and a few others.

The award ceremony will be followed by the festival of performing arts featuring the recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Amrit Awards from September 16 to 20 at Meghdoot Complex, Sangeet Natak Akademi, 35, Feroze Shah Road, New Delhi. (PIB)

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