Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy presented the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar 2017, at a glittering function held at the U Soso Tham auditorium in Shillong on Friday.
The award ceremony was held alongside the Festival of Music, Dance and Drama organized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi in collaboration with the Directorate of Arts and Culture, Meghalaya.
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Also read: Shillong to host festival of music, dance and drama from Friday
Altogether 32 awardees were felicitated in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the field of music, dance and drama.
While giving away the awards, Roy said that art is a celebration of the ‘universal spirit’ of the country.
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With 60 per cent of the population of the county under 35 years of age, the Governor said ‘India is a young nation and the youth are indeed the assets of the nation’.
Roy also paid rich tribute to shehnai wizard and Bharat Ratna Ustad Bismillah Khan on the occasion.
Chairman of Sangeet Natak Academy, Shekhar Sen, Director of Arts and Culture, M. War Nongbri, along with a host of invitees were also present at the programme.
The award ceremony was followed by performances from some of the awardees.
The five-day festival of song, dance and drama will conclude on September 18.