Telugu poet wins Sanskriti award on debut

New Delhi, November 15: THE 2005 Sanskriti Awards have been announced by the Sanskriti Pratishthan, a public charitable trust that aims to foster and preserve the cultural heritage of India.

The awards are given to artistes in the age group of 25-35 age for excellence in the fields of art and culture. Five persons have been awarded this year in different categories.

Shahajana has been given the award for Telugu literature. Hailing from Kamalappu Ram in Andhra Pradesh, she is known as a ‘‘feminist’’ writer. Her first poetry collection, Naqab (the veil), broke new grounds with bold and frank expression.

The Journalism award has been given to Radhika Bordia, currently Features Editor, NDTV, Mumbai. Her programme India Matters opened up critical issues of gender, poverty and social injustice in mainstream media.

Gigi Scaria has been awarded for excellence in art. Her 16-minute video, A day with Sohail and Mariyam is a story about 2 young waste-pickers and a map of Delhi. Scaria is a graduate from the College of Fine Arts, Thiruvananthapuram, and holds a masters degree in painting from Jamia Milia Islamia University.

The award in the instrumental music category has been given to Baha’ud’din Dagar, who represents the 20th generation of the Dagarbani school of Dhrupad Music.

An A-grade artist for All India Radio, he has been the subject of various documentaries.

Loknaad, the music group of the husband and wife team of Charul and Vina has been awarded for outstanding social achievement. The duo has tried to express peace and harmony through their songs while trying to create awareness about social injustice.

Courtesy: ExpressIndia