19th Guru M.L. Koser Award Announced: Award Ceremony to be Held on 15th October at Tagore

By 121 News

Chandigarh, October, 08, 2024:-Pracheen Kala Kendra here today to announced upcoming 19th Guru M.L.  Koser Award to be held on 15th October at Tagore Theatre. This press meet was presided by Dr. Shobha Koser, Registrar , Dr. Samira Koser, Deputy Registrar and Prof. Meera Madan (Member General Body of Kendra)

MLK – Late Guru Madan Lal Koser – needs no introduction in the realm of art and culture. His untiring efforts has not only put the city beautiful on the art map of the world but have also succeeded in kindling the interest of young generation towards the classical art of music and dance.

Guru M.L. Koser was renowned not only for his immense contribution in the field of Indian Classical Music and dance but also for his generous dedication in the  promotion and preservation of the finest traditions in these art forms." He has done yeoman service to the cause of his chosen field and gave all he had to the world of performing arts for almost six decades now.  He  taught music and made  the  art-minded world  gay  with  what  is the best  in  the  classical  tradition  of disciplines of the higher and finer levels of dance and music.

Through this award we humble pay tribute to those stalwarts who has rendered substantial services in the realm of classical art and culture. This award is special and unique because it is a kind of recognition and salute to the talent  of an artist by an artist. This award is given in the name of Guru Madan Lal Koser, founder of Pracheen Kala Kendra, great artist himself. He is the image of personified creativity and epitome of selfless services towards the promotion & dissemination of Indian classical art and culture.

Taking note of this, the Executive Board of Pracheen Kala Kendra in 2004 decided to institute an annual award of Rupees One Lakh to be given to those who had done original work for the propagation of Indian classical arts. The award would do three kinds of services.  One, this would promote art and culture. Two, this would respect talent. Three, this would honour the celebrity in his/her field for their outstanding contribution.

The first award ceremony was held in  March 2005  and many  luminaries  from the field of performing  arts  namely  Sitara Devi ji (Kathak), Pt. Manilal Nag (Sitar), Ustad Shahid Parvez (Sitar), Pt. Charan Girdhar Chand (Kathak), Pt. Buddhadev Dasgupta (Sarod), Dr. Saraswati (Bharatnatyam), Pt. Ram Narayan (Sarangi), Saroja Vaidyanathan ji (Bharatnatyam), Pt. Shankar Ghosh  (Tabla), Sunayana Hazarilal ji (Kathak), Sonal Mansingh ji (Odissi Dance) , Pt.  Vishwa Mohan Bhatt  (Mohan Veena), Pt. Birju Maharaj (Kathak),  Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma (Santoor),  Shovana Narayan ji (Kathak) , Pt. Bhajan Sopori (Santoor) ,  Guru Kundan Lal Gangani (Posthumously) (Kathak), Pt.  Satish Vyas (Santoor) ,  Ustad Shujaat Husain Khan (Sitar) , Pt. Ajoy Chakraborty (Vocal),  Pt.  Sushil Jain (Tabla), Pt. Kale  Ram(Tabla), Pt. Anindogopal Bandyopadhyay (Tabla) , Pt. Samaresh Chawdhury (Vocal), Pt. Dinanath Mishra (Vocal), Pt. Gobindo Bose (Tabla), Ustad Manju Khan (Tabla) , Ustad Ghulam Haider (Tabla) and Sh. Zamir Ahmed (Vocal), Pt. Shyamal Chatterjee (Sitar), Pt. Sunil Banerjee (Tabla) ,  Pt. Narendra Nath Dhar (Sarod) and Pt. Swapan Shiva (Tabla) were already  conferred  with this award.

This year Kendra has decided to bestow 19th M.L. Koser award upon two world renowned exponents of music for their life-long and tremendous contribution in the field of classical music namely Delhi based Tabla Maestro Pt. Vinod Pathak and Chandigarh based Sitar Maestro Pandit  Harvinder Sharma. The glittering award ceremony is scheduled to be held at Tagore Theatre, Chandigarh on October 15, 2024 from 6:30 pm onwards. The award ceremony will be followed by the Tabla and Sitar performance of the awardees. Padmavibhushan Living Legend Pandit Vishwamohan Bhatt has very kindly consented to be the chief guest and confer the award. Kindly add that all the art lovers are welcome and cordially invited.

Two day 300th Monthly baithak programe to mark silver jubilee celebrations.

Dr. Samira Koser further added that Kendra is also celebrating silver jubilee of its uninterrupted Monthly baithak series being organized by the Kendra from the last 25 years. Registrar Dr. Shobha Koser shared that it is very unique fact to share that Kendra is organizing these baithaks on 11th of every month. In its 300th episode many eminent and young artists are performing with choicest of their items like Sh. Debsagar Malik (santoor), Ustad Babar Latif (Tabla) , Ms. Vani Rao(Vocal) and Soumen Bhattacharjee (Sitar). This event  will be held at M.L. Koser Auditorium , sector-35, PKK complex of the Kendra on 10th & 11th October 2024 from 6:30 pm onwards on both days.