MUMBAI: Sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan was presented with the Mallikarjun Mansur award in recognition of his achievements.

Khan, a Padma Vibushan awardee said, "I deem it is a great honour bestowed on me. It is a big award for me.... He showered praise on the cultural heritage of Dharwad, which he said has patronised music in a big way and urged Rajasekhara Mansur, son of the legendary Hindustani singer Mallikarjun Mansur, who presented the award, to continue his father`s legacy.

The award, instituted by the Karnataka government, carries a cash prize of Rs one lakh and a citation. Vocalist Kishori Amonkar, Pandit Jasraj and Dr Balamuralikrishna were its earlier recipients.

Khan played ragas like Kedar, Siddhakalyan, Ganesh Kalyan, Bhairavi and Durga after the felicitation function, enthralling music connoisseurs.

The sarod maestro professed his desire to score music for movies, "I am not against films or anything else but would like to score music for films if it suits my vision and creative taste. Songs today lack melody and the emphasis is more on racy item numbers. Old songs still appeal to today`s generation as they are melodious," he told PTI.

The innovative genius, who has composed many ragas of his own, is upbeat about the future of Indian classical music. "I have great hopes and expectations from young classical musicians of today. The future of Indian classical music is bright. The only way to achieve and understand classical music is through the Guru-Shishya parampara (tradition)," he said.

Khan has the distinction of being the first north Indian artiste to have performed in honour of saint composer Thyagaraja at his birth place at Thiruvaiyur in Tamil Nadu. He is also a recipient of many awards like Sangeet Natak academy award, Tansen Award, UNESCO Award, UNICEF National Ambassadorship and International Music Forum Award.