Nashik, Feb 2 (PTI) Veteran Sitar player Ustad Usman Khan, Marathi actors Prashant Damle and Sayaji Shinde have been selected for the Godavari Gaurav award.
The award presentation ceremony will be organised on March 10 in Nashik, organisers said on Monday.
The biennial awards were instituted by the Kusumagraj Pratishthan, which recognises contributions in various fields such as Marathi literature, science, arts and social service.
“The winners this time include Dr Aniruddha Pandit (science), Ashish Mane (adventure), Chandramohan Kulkarni (arts), actor Sayaji Shinde (social service), actor Prashant Damle (drama) and Ustad Usman Khan (music),” according to a release issued by the Pratishthan.
The award is given for taking forward the legacy of Gyanpeeth awardee Marathi litterateur VV Shirwadkar (Kusumagraj). It includes Rs 21,000 cash, a citation and a memento.
“Honouring people who work for society honestly, loyally and consistently is the real aim behind the award. This award is not limited to Nashik only but is considered a prestigious honour in Maharashtra’s cultural arena,” said Kusumagraj Pratishthan vice chairman Prakash Holkar.
Among the awardees, Dr Pandit is a renowned chemical engineer. The technique developed by him for the purification of Rankala Lake in Kolhapur and Bindusagar Lake in Bhubaneswar has become a milestone, the release said.
Mane has successfully completed many expeditions, including scaling Mount Everest, Lhotse, and Kanchenjunga. He is the only mountaineer in Maharashtra who climbed five peaks which are more than 8,000 meters high.
Chandramohan Kulkarni has portrayed the life of the fishermen community very potently on canvas, the release said.
Sayaji Shinde has planted trees at 40 places across Maharashtra through his institution “Sahyadri Devrai”. He is known for his social work and his love for nature.
Damle, who started his journey with the Marathi play “Turtur”, has acted in over 12,500 shows of various dramas. He has five records in the Limca Book of Records in his name. He is the president of Akhil Bharatiya Natya Parishad.
Ustad Usman Khan has developed his own style of playing the Sitar. He is the international dean at Temple of Fine Arts, Malaysia, the release added. PTI COR NSK
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