MUMBAI: As part of its tradition of honouring the stalwarts of art, culture and sports, Delhi government honoured two of India’s most respected flag bearers in the field of music and visual arts – Padma Bhushan Abdul Rashid Khan and Padma Shri Anjolie Ela Menon.
The two veteran artists were honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award, 2013 by Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit at a ceremony presented by the Department of Art, Culture and Languages and organised by the Sahitya Kala Parishad. Both artists were awarded a cash prize of Rs 11 lakh each and a citation.
A Hindustani classical music vocalist, Ustad Khan saheb has a rich repertoire including Khayal, Dhrupad, Dhamar and Thumri music. He has been honored with India’s third highest civilian award Padma Bhushan for his achievements and contributions.
The ceremony was held at Kamani Auditorium on 11 August enriched by a performance from the Ustad himself who give a vocal recital while an exhibition of the paintings of Menon will also form a part of the event.
Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan and Anjolie Ela Menon are guiding lights for the young artists of today. They have come to symbolise their art forms in some ways. You cannot talk about Hindustani classical music tradition without naming Ustad Rashid.
A number of renowned personalities in these fields have been honoured so far including Carnatic music doyen M S Subbulakshmi, theatre veterans Ebrahim Alkazi and Habib Tanvir, artist Zohra Sehgal, Sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan, eminent writer Ruskin Bond, chess master Viswanathan Anand, among others.
Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan is among those artists in India, whose contributions to their respective fields have left an indelible mark on Indian cultural history.