Milapfest presented the 3rd National Indian Arts Awards ceremony with support of Arts Council England on 25th October 2017 at the Bhavan, London. The ceremony was presided over by Guest of Honour Baron Navnit Dholakia, OBE (Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords) and Chief Guest Kenneth Baird (Managing Director of European Opera Centre.
The awards acknowledge the hard work and dedication shown by recipients in promoting and nurturing Indian Arts in Britain. They also honoured the rising stars in this field who are keeping such rich art forms flourishing in the UK. The awardees this year were selected by a national jury from a plethora of exceptional applications. In the end, 10 very special awards were presented to a range of artists, educators and pioneers in the field of Indian Arts.
South Asians who migrated to England over the past 70 years, have always aspired to ensure that their children as well as their local communities have good opportunities to learn about their arts and heritage through structured teaching and performances. Over the decades many dedicated teachers and professionals have worked tirelessly to make that possible. Up and down the country, there are schools and organisations that make this possible. However, unlike the numerous ways in which sterling contributions of people in business, finance, public service and other professionals are recognised, there has never been any national award system that recognises and celebrates such services to Arts. Hence Milapfest established this annual awards in 2015 to fill that gap. Milapfest also recognises the importance of supporting the talented young people of Britain.
Prashant Nayak, Executive Director of Milapfest, said, “We believe thats the establishment of these awards will create a better understanding of how such selfless work empowers and enriches the younger generation and how it helps build bridges between the communities and professionals. We hope that in future years these awards will contribute significantly towards providing more focus on the impact of these exceptional professionals working in the field of Indian arts and provide opportunities for their work to expand in the years ahead.”
This year's awardees included: Ashnaa Sasikaran, a Carnatic vocalist who won the Samyo Musician of the Year Award for her work in Milapfest’s National Youth Orchestra for South Asian Music (Samyo); Dr Elena Catalano, an acclaimed Odissi dancer who won the Yuva Nritya Ratna Award (Young Dancer of the Year); the emerging artists of Tarang (National Ensemble for Indian Music) who won the Yuva Sangeet Ratna Award (Young Musician of the Year); Milapfest Ensembles Award for Excellence winner Jainee-Khushali Patel, a Sitarist who brough Jazz saxophone to Milapfest’s youth orchestra Samyo Too; acclaimed Bharatnatyam dancer, Dr Swati Raut, and Kathak dancer, Sonia Sabri, both won the Nritya Acharya Ratna Awards in their respective dance forms; Hindustani Classical singer Chandrima Misra, who received the Sangeet Acharya Ratna Award, and M Balachandar, a highly respected Mridangam artist and teacher who won the same award but for services to Carnatic music. Noted classical and contemporary artist, choreographer and art critic, as well as the Founder Director of Arangham Trust and Narthaki.com, Dr Anita Ratnam received the Vishwa Kala Ratna Award. The Lifetime Achievement Award was awarded to renowned Kathak dancer and choreographer Nahid Siddiqui.
The National Indian Arts Awards were established by Milapfest, Britain’s leading Indian arts development trust, producing world class performances, education and artist development opportunities across the UK. A British Art Organisation specialising in Indian Arts, Milapfest has a strong track record of creating and delivering ground breaking artistic projects nationally. It is Milapfest’s aim to bring people together by providing audiences, aspiring artists and teachers with memorable and inspirational experiences of Indian arts through a dynamic programme of performances, tours, commissions, festivals and innovative educational projects. In the exciting and challenging task of building and strengthening today’s multicultural Britain, their committed endeavour is to unite the hearts and minds of all communities through an exhilarating celebration of arts and culture. Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar Editor CB Patel is a long-standing Patron of the organisation.
The ABPL Group was proud to be the Media Partner for Milapfest and sponsored two awards to honour the achievers.
