Sitar maestro Niladri Kumar wins Sangeet Natak Akademi

Sitar maestro Niladri Kumar is elated after being named one of the winners of Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar for 2023 by the Ministry of Culture for his contribution in the field of creative and experimental music. This is the highest national recognition given to stalwarts in the field of performing arts. Kumar had earlier won Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar by the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 2007.

“I am really grateful to the Ministry of Culture and Sangeet Natak Akademi for honouring my journey in music. My greatest reward is to witness my music touch the hearts of listeners from all over the world, across all these years,” said the sitar virtuoso.

Born to sitar maestro, Kartick Kumar in Kolkata, a disciple of the legendary Pandit Ravi Shankar, Kumar first performed on Doordarshan at the tender age of seven. He has since been breaking barriers and setting trends in Indian classical music. Taking forward his father’s legacy, the sitar star has been well recognised at national as well as global forums.

An artiste, who believes in walking with the times alongside staying true to his Indian roots, Kumar has featured in jazz-guitar legend John McLaughlin’s album ‘Floating Point’. He has also toured and played with giants of world music, including tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain and jazz-rock bass virtuoso Jonas Hellborg. He has also worked in major Bollywood films like ‘Bunty Aur Babli’, ‘Dhoom 2’, ‘Gangster’, ‘Baahubali: The Beginning’, ‘My Nams is Khan’ and ‘Kalank’.