Patna: The Bihar government has announced that it will honour 52 artists under the Bihar Kala Puraskar scheme. The announcement was made during a press conference at Vikas Bhawan in Patna, led by Arts, Culture and Youth Department Minister Motilal Prasad. The event was also attended by Departmental Secretary Pranav Kumar and other officials. The scheme aims to recognise and celebrate both experienced and upcoming artists who have made outstanding contributions in the fields of visual and performing arts at state, national and international levels.
The awards cover three financial years – 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 – and will be given to a total of 22 established artists, 18 emerging artists, six national award winners and six recipients of the lifetime achievement award. The selection process had been pending for a long time but has now been completed, said the minister. The felicitation ceremony will be held on September 24 in Patna, where the artists will be formally honoured.
Some of the big names on the list include Padma Shri Dulari Devi and Chitra Prasad for the National Award in 2022-23, Padma Shri Baua Devi and Kalpana Patwari in 2023-24, and Ratneshwar Prasad and Ashok Kumar Vishwas for 2024-25. The lifetime achievement awards will go to several respected names including Anil Bihari, Padma Shri Nirmala Devi and Bharat Sharma Vyas. Apart from these, 18 other artists from fields like theatre, dance, folk art, classical and folk music and instrumental music will also be recognised.
A total cash prize of Rs 27.72 lakh will be distributed among the winners. National Award and Lifetime Achievement Award winners will each receive Rs 1,00,000, while established artists will get Rs 51,000 and emerging artists Rs 25,000. Each recipient will also receive a certificate, souvenir and angvastra as a mark of honour. Departmental Secretary Pranav Kumar said that over 150 applications were received and the best quality artists were chosen after a careful process.
Minister Motilal Prasad said that the government is fully committed to supporting the art and culture of Bihar. “Bihar Kala Puraskar is an inspiration to enrich the cultural dignity of the state and touch new heights in the field of art,” he said.
