GUWAHATI, July 27 - Noted Sattriya danseuse Dr Anwesha Mahanta was conferred the Bharat Kala Ratna Award, 2018 by the Navanittam Cultural Trust, India, a Thrissur (Kerala)-based cultural institution, for her contribution to the world of Indian dance, Sattriya in particular.
A press release received here today said that the award was presented to Anwesha at a glittering function attended by art enthusiasts and held in the Kerala Sangeet Natak Akademi Auditorium. Founder director of the Navanittam Cultural Trust, India, Vijay Kumar honoured Anwesha with a citation, angavastra and a cash award.
Presenting the award, Kumar described Anwesha as the �renaissance girl of Sattriya dance�. Her grace and the liveliness of her dance and the expressions of her abhinaya make Anwesha a distinguished artiste. As a dedicated performer and interpreter of one of the oldest living dance traditions of India and through her efforts in research and publications, Anwesha has contributed significantly to the wider understanding of this intangible heritage of Assam, said Kumar.
Anwesha, who is widely acclaimed as a leading performer and scholar of Sattriya dance, and is also a recipient of the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar of the Sangeet Natak Akademi, has brought glory to the Sattriya tradition through her scintillating performances, lecture demonstrations, presentations of her research works at seminars and publications across India and abroad.
Anwesha, a Ph D from the University of Delhi and a recipient of the prestigious Charles Wallace Fellowship (2015) of the Charles Wallace Foundation and the British Council, did her post-doctoral research at the Queen�s University, Belfast, United Kingdom. She has a number of publications in the internationally acclaimed journals and anthologies.
As festival director of the Pragjyoti International Dance Festival under the aegis of Kalpa, she has also contributed to the promotion of intercultural relations and international understanding through this dance festival, which is first of its kind in the entire north-eastern region of the country, said the press release.
