Mysore/Mysuru: Champaka Educational and Cultural Trust, a city-based organisation working to promote Indian arts and culture for nearly 20 years, has announced Champaka Kalaa Ratna Awards for 2024.

The awards presentation ceremony will be held on Apr. 6 at Nadabrahma Sangeetha Sabha on JLB Road at 5 pm.

These awards are given by the Trust to honour exemplary achievers in the field of Indian arts and culture over a sustained period of time.

For the year 2024, the awards will be conferred on Vidwan Dr. H.V. Nagaraja Rao (reputed scholar of Sanskrit, retd. from Oriental Research Institute), Dr. K. Anantharamu (renowned Kannada scholar, retd. from University of Mysore), Dr. Manik A.V. Bengeri (renowned Sanskrit, Marathi and Hindi scholar) and Guru Vidushi B.K. Vasanthalakshmi (renowned Bharatanatyam Guru, retd. from Bangalore University).

Previous awardees include Vidushi Dr. Vasundhara Doraswamy, Vidushi H.R. Leelavathi and Vidushi Dr. Gowri Kuppuswamy for the year 2022; Ganjifa Raghupathi Bhat, Addanda Cariappa, Guru Vidushi Nandini Eswar and Yogacharya Sudhesh Chand for the year 2023.

Industrialist R. Guru of NR Group will be the chief guest and honour the awardees.

The awards presentation will be followed by the Phalguna edition of the monthly series “Champaka Rashtreeya Kalaa Utsava.” As part of this, a thematic dance titled “Shrimad Shankara Digvijayah – Divyaadbhuta Baalyam” will be performed by Vidushi Dr. Nagalakshmi Nagarajan, Founder of Champaka Academy.

This presentation is based on excerpts of the divine childhood of Shrimad Adi Shankara from a poem composed by Sri Maadhava Vidyaranyaswami.

Music composition and vocal support will be provided by Vidushi Chethana Nagaraj; Vidwan Rakesh Sudhir on flute and Vidwan Sai Vamshi on mridanga.

Disciples of Guru Vidushi B. K. Vasanthalakshmi from Bengaluru will present “Madhuraagamanam,” a short dance drama, to conclude the event.