GUWAHATI: Assam artistes have brought national recognition to the state after several performers were selected for the prestigious 'Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards' and 'Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar' for 2024 and 2025, announced on Wednesday, June 10, 2026. Among them, veteran actor, Chetana Das has been chosen for the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 2025 in the field of Theatre (Acting).
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The Sangeet Natak Akademi, India’s apex body for music, dance and drama under the Ministry of Culture, announced the names of awardees and fellows following a meeting of its General Council. The council selected 108 artistes from across the country for the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards (Akademi Puraskar) for 2024 and 2025, while 106 young artistes were chosen for the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for the same years.
From Assam, the recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards 2024 are Prema Ojah Barbayan for Sattriya and Bipul Chandra Das for Kathak. For 2025, the awardees from the state include Chetana Das for Theatre (Acting), Mallika Kandali for Sattriya, and Bhaskar Jyoti Ojah for Music for Dance (Sattriya).
Assam also secured notable representation in the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar category. For 2024, the awardees are Meenakshi Medhi (Sattriya), Bidyut Kumar Nath (Direction), and Dilip Hira (Folk Music). For 2025, the selected artistes are Debajit Saikia for Khol of Assam under Other Major Traditions of Music, Niranjan Saikia Barbayan for Sattriya, and Hirak Jyoti Sarma for Tokari Geet.
In addition, the Akademi selected seven eminent personalities as Akademi Fellows (Akademi Ratna), the institution’s highest honour.
According to an official statement, the fellows and awardees represent diverse performing art traditions from different states and Union Territories, covering music, dance, theatre, folk and tribal arts, puppetry, and allied theatre forms.
The Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship and Awards will be conferred by the President of India at a special investiture ceremony, while the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar will be presented by the Chairman of the Sangeet Natak Akademi.