Renowned music icon and sitar maestro Niladri Kumar has been given the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar for 2023 by the ministry of culture and the Sangeet Natak Akademi. The award recognises his exceptional contribution to the field of performing arts. President of India, Droupadi Murmu, presented the award to Niladri Kumar at the awards ceremony in New Delhi on 6th March.
Niladri Kumar is a fifth generation sitar player and is the son of Pandit Kartick Kumar, himself a winner of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar and the President’s Gold Medal in 1958. In Bollywood, Niladri Kumar has composed the music for the very popular Mehram song rendered by Arijit Singh, written by Irshad Kamil and produced by Imtiaz Ali.
