Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday awarded Sangeet Natak Akademi Award to Diwan Singh Bajeli for the year 2018 for his scholarship in the performing arts.
The Vice President attended the investiture of the Sangeet Natak Akademi and Lalit Kala Akademi Fellowships along with Akademi Awards for 2018 and 62nd National Exhibition of Art Awards. He presented the honours to various artists for their contribution to the field of performing arts and fine arts.
Naidu presented the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship and Sangeet Natak Awards for the year 2018, and Fellowships and National Awards of Lalit Kala Akademi for the year 2021 in the joint ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
Born on January 20, 1937, Diwan Singh Bajeli obtained his M.A. (Political Science) from Delhi University, and later he earned a diploma in Journalism from the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.
As a film critic, he has covered several film festivals including the International Film Festivals of India held in various cities in the country.
Associated with the Delhi theatre scene for the last four decades as a theatre critic beginning with The Indian Express in the eighties for a decade, Bajeli has written extensively for many other dailies such as The Financial Express, The Economic Times, The Times of India, Patriot, The Pioneer, The Statesman and the Hindustan Times from time to time.
Bajeli has authored three books on theatre which were well received. The book titled 'Mohan Upreti: The Man and His Art' chronicles the journey of the man credited with bringing about a cultural renaissance in Uttarakhand. 'The Theatre of Bhanu Bharti: A New Perspective' highlights the necessity to synthesize traditional art forms with modern dramatic art, pointing especially to the depth of his creativity and his exploration of Bheel art-Gavari. 'Yatrik: A Journey into Theatrical Art' highlights Yatrik's 50 years of uninterrupted creative history.
He also penned a dozen short stories some of which have been published in English andHindi publications. He has also written five one-act plays. He has been a member of variouscommittees on theatre constituted by Sahitya Kala Parishad, Delhi, and has been part of the selection committee for Bharat Rang Mahotsav, META awards, etc.
For his critical writings on theatre, Bajeli has been felicitated by numerous institutions.
Sangeet Natak Awards awardees included Madhup Mudgal - Hindustani Vocal; Malladi Suribabu - Carnatic Vocal; Mani Prasad - Hindustani Vocal; S. Karim and S. Babu - Carnatic Instrumental - Nagaswaram (Joint Award). National Awards of Lalit Kala Akademi were awarded to awardees including Anand Narayan Dabli; Bhola Kumar; Devesh Upadhyay; Digbijayee Khatua; Ghanshyam Kahar.
( With inputs from ANI )
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