Nagpur: A group of artists in Vidarbha has alleged that the region has been completely overlooked in the selection process for the state cultural awards. Pravin Raut, founder secretary of Kala Jagat, said, “Despite the presence of numerous talented individuals in Vidarbha, not a single artist has been recognised with a state cultural award this year.”
To back its claim, the organisation presented the profile of renowned tabla exponent Pt Prashant Gaikwad, who was not selected for the award, at a press conference on Saturday.“His contribution to the field of music far surpasses that of the selected recipient,” Raut said.
Pt Gaikwad, who too was present at the press conference, said he was not seeking the award for personal gain, but he wanted to highlight the “unfairness” of the selection process. “It’s crucial to understand how my profile was overlooked, even though it was presented to the state cultural affairs minister,” he said.
The state cultural awards consist of 12 categories, each with a prize money of Rs 3 lakh, which was Rs1 lakh until last year. The recipients for this year include Vishakha Subhedar for Drama, Vikas Kashalkar for Sub-Classical Music, Sudesh Bhosle for Vocal, Abhimanyu Dharmaji Savdekar for Folk Art, Shahir Rajendra Kamble for Shahiri, Sonia Parchure for Dance, Rohini Hattangadi for Films, Sanjaynana Dhondge for Kirtan, Pandurang Mukhde for Instrumental, Nagesh Surve for Fine Art, Kailas Maruti Sawant for Tamasha, and Shivraj Shankar Dhute for Tribal Art. None of these artists is from Vidarbha.
Nagpur-based artists have demanded a thorough review of the selection process and the public disclosure of the criteria used by the selection committee. They have threatened legal action if the govt fails to address their concerns.
The artists also accused minister of cultural affairs Sudhir Mungantiwar of neglecting the region’s artists. TOI tried to contact Mungantiwar’s office in this regard but the minister was not available for comment. Senior officials in the directorate of cultural affairs said the selection committee is an autonomous body and neither the minister nor any other official of the department intervene in the selection process.
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