Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Conferred on Shubhada Varadkar

The Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for 2025 was conferred on Odissi exponent Shubhada Varadkar at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on 13 August 2026. The award included a purse of Rs. 1,00,000, a Tamrapatra, and an Angavastram. The Sangeet Natak Akademi is India’s national academy for music, dance, and drama, and the Akademi Puraskar is one of its highest honours for performing arts.

Sangeet Natak Akademi and its awards

The Sangeet Natak Akademi was established in 1953 as India’s national academy of music, dance, and drama. It functions under the Ministry of Culture and recognises excellence in performing arts through awards, fellowships, and fellowships for artists and scholars.

The Akademi Puraskar is given in fields such as music, dance, theatre, traditional and folk arts, and puppetry. The award ceremony is often held in New Delhi and is presided over by the President of India.

Odissi as a classical dance form

Odissi is one of the eight classical dance forms of India recognised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi. It originated in Odisha and is known for tribhanga posture, fluid torso movements, and sculptural hand gestures.

The dance form has roots in temple traditions, devotional performance, and the Mahari and Gotipua traditions of Odisha. Kelucharan Mohapatra is among the best-known modern exponents of Odissi.

Shubhada Varadkar and her background

Shubhada Varadkar is a Mumbai-based Odissi exponent and a former economics professor at Ruia College. She is also a cancer survivor and studied Odissi after attending a workshop with guru Kelucharan Mohapatra.

She has written the Marathi autobiographical book Mayurpankh and the English book The Celestial Plume. Her family background includes freedom fighters Manohar and Manik Varadkar, who took part in the Quit India Movement.

Important Facts for Exams

• The Sangeet Natak Akademi was founded in 1953 and is India’s national academy for music, dance, and drama.
• Odissi is one of the eight classical dance forms recognised in India.
• The Sangeet Natak Akademi Award is also known as the Akademi Puraskar.
• Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi is a major venue for national-level official ceremonies.

Related personalities and institutions

President Droupadi Murmu conferred the award during the official ceremony on 13 August 2026. The award package for 2025 included a cash prize, a bronze plaque, and a ceremonial shawl, which are standard components of several Indian cultural honours.