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Furore over Sangeet Natak Akademi awards
Updated On: 27 June, 2018 07:30 AM IST | Mumbai | Soumya Vajpayee Tiwari
After tabla player Anuradha Pal accuses national academy of favouritism, several musicians open up on the need for a fairer selection process
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Anuradha Pal
A week after the Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA) — India's national academy for music, dance and drama — announced the list of 42 artistes who have been selected for the Sangeet Natak Akademi award, many musicians took to social media to express their disappointment. While sarod players Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash refused to accept the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar 2017 stating that they cannot be considered 'yuva' given their age and experience in the field, ace tabla player Anuradha Pal penned an open letter to the members of SNA general council, highlighting that she is "disappointed and pained by the unfair selection process and criterion of the SNA, which is based on recommendation and lineage, rather than on merit and talent". Speaking to mid-day, Pal said she was shocked to see those honoured by the SNA this year.'
"I was shocked to find certain names who had never done anything original or outstanding, getting awards, whereas many who have been working for over 30 years, were sadly ignored, yet again. When I inquired further, I was told that the awards were given only on the basis of recommendation. So, only a sitar player could recommend another sitar player, even if the recommending authority was a close relative of the awardee," she said. Among several musicians who backed Pal's sentiment was ghazal singer-composer Tauseef Akhtar, who emphasised on the need to eliminate the system of "personal recommendations by panel members."
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