Chavan to give away Aditya Vikram Birla awards

Mumbai  :  Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan will Saturday give away the prestigious Aditya Vikram Birla Kalashikhar and Kalakiran Puraskars 2012 for excellence in theatre and performing arts, an official statement said.

Among the winners this year are Yamunabai Vikram Jawle and R. Nageswara Rao for lifetime achievements in performing folk arts.

“Durgabai Vyam, Dineshchandra Kumhar, Anandilal Kurmi and Umar Fahrukh Mewati will be awarded for being most promising folk artists,” the statement said.

The awards were instituted in 1996 by the Sangeet Kala Kendra (SKK), which was founded in 1973 by the late Aditya Vikram Birla to encourage and nurture performing arts.

The awards are conferred on artists in the visual or performing arts for lifetime achievement and each comprises Rs.2 lakh, a memento and scroll of honour.