Who looks after India’s music, dance and theatre at the national level? The answer is the Sangeet Natak Akademi. It is a national body under the Ministry of Culture. It gives the country’s top honours to performing artists.
This lesson explains when it began, what it runs and which awards it gives. Each card gives one idea, with its source.
At a glance
| Point | Detail |
|---|---|
| Set up | 1953, as a national body. |
| Registered | 11 September 1961, as a society. |
| Parent body | Ministry of Culture. It is an autonomous body. |
| Office | Rabindra Bhavan, 35 Feroze Shah Road, New Delhi. |
| Chairman | Appointed by the President of India for 5 years. |
| Top honour | Akademi Ratna (Fellowship), purse Rs 3 lakh. |
Akademi means academy. It is an Indian word for a learned body.
Fellow is the highest honour the Akademi gives. The formal name is Akademi Ratna.
Puraskar means award. The Akademi Puraskar is a yearly award for practising artists.
Tamrapatra is a copper certificate. Angavastram is a ceremonial shawl. Both come with the awards.
When did the Akademi begin: 1952 or 1953?
The Akademi says it was set up in 1953. But its honours, Akademi Ratna and Akademi Puraskar, have been conferred since 1952. This is a common exam trap. The two years describe two different things.
The Akademi became a registered society on 11 September 1961. A registered society is a body with legal status under the law. So you can remember three dates: 1952 for honours, 1953 for the Akademi, 1961 for registration.
Sources: Sangeet Natak Akademi, About Us · Sangeet Natak Akademi, Fellowship and Award Guidelines (for when did the akademi begin: 1952 or 1953?).
Check 1
Sangeet Natak Akademi was registered as a society on 11 September 1961.
What does the Akademi run?
The Akademi is an autonomous body of the Ministry of Culture. Autonomous means it manages its own work, though the Government funds it. The Chairman is appointed by the President of India for 5 years. It runs two constituent units.
- Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy, in Imphal
- Kathak Kendra, in Delhi
It also runs five centres.
- Kutiyattam Kendra, in Thiruvananthapuram
- Sattriya Kendra, in Guwahati
- North-East Centre, in Guwahati
- North-East Documentation Centre, in Agartala
- Chhau Kendra, in Chandankiyari
Sources: Sangeet Natak Akademi, About Us (for what does the akademi run?).
Check 2
The Kathak Kendra is one of the Akademi’s constituent units.
Akademi Ratna: the highest honour
The highest honour is the Akademi Ratna, also called the Fellowship. It recognises a lifetime of work in the performing arts. The purse is Rs 3 lakh. Fellows are conferred by the President of India.
The number of living Fellows was once capped at 30. This came from Rule 12(vi) of the Akademi’s rules. The General Council recommended 40 on 25 March 2003. The Executive Board raised the cap to 40 on 8 October 2009.
The 10 extra seats were to be filled 2 a year, over 5 years.
Sources: Sangeet Natak Akademi, Fellowship and Award Guidelines · News on AIR, 11 Jun 2026 (for akademi ratna: the highest honour).
Check 3
The number of living Fellows is capped at 30 today.
Akademi Puraskar: who gets it, and in which fields
The Akademi Puraskar is awarded every year to practising artists. The purse is Rs 1 lakh. A Tamrapatra and an Angavastram come with it. No more than 2 awards go to one category.
The yearly cap has risen in steps.
- 33 to 36 on 18 January 2011
- 36 to 41 on 19 April 2016
- 41 to 46 in November 2022
The 46 awards are split across five fields. Music and dance get the most, 12 each.
- Music: 12
- Dance: 12
- Theatre: 9
- Traditional, folk, tribal and puppetry: 11
- Overall contribution: 2
Sources: Sangeet Natak Akademi, Fellowship and Award Guidelines · News on AIR, 11 Jun 2026 (for akademi puraskar: who gets it, and in which fields).
Check 4
No more than two Akademi Puraskars can go to a single category.
Think it through: why does a rule need a cap on awards?
Look at the fields.
Music and dance get 12 each, and theatre gets 9.
A cap spreads honours across art forms. Without it, one popular form could take most of the awards.
Awards for young artists
The Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar is for young artists. It was instituted in 2006. The purse is Rs 25,000, with a Tamrapatra and an Angavastram. The Chairman of the Akademi confers it.
For 2024 and 2025, 106 young artists were chosen. The Akademi Puraskar for the same years went to 108 artists.
Sources: Sangeet Natak Akademi, About Us · News on AIR, 11 Jun 2026 (for awards for young artists).
Check 5
The Yuva Puraskar was instituted in 2006.
Office and archive
The registered office is at Rabindra Bhavan, 35 Feroze Shah Road, New Delhi. The Akademi keeps a large archive of audio and video tapes, photographs and films. It calls this one of the largest such archives in the country. The archive helps preserve performing arts that are rarely written down.
Sources: Sangeet Natak Akademi, About Us (for office and archive).
Same design, three Akademis
India has three national academies for the arts: music, dance and drama; literature; and visual arts. They share one idea. A national body promotes its art form and honours its best practitioners. For the visual arts, see Lalit Kala Akademi.
For the music traditions the Akademi honours, see Carnatic music and Hindustani classical music. For the wider picture, see cultural institutions of India.
Sources: Sangeet Natak Akademi, About Us (for same design, three akademis).
Which dance and music forms get their own award category?
The Akademi names nine dance forms, plus three wider categories.
- Dance forms: Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Manipuri, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Sattriya, Mohiniattam and Chhau
- Wider categories: Contemporary, Other Major Traditions, and Music for Dance
For music, the categories are Hindustani Vocal, Hindustani Instrumental, Carnatic Vocal, Carnatic Instrumental, Contemporary Music and Other Major Traditions of Music. Chhau appears in the Akademi’s list. So a list of eight classical dances and the Akademi’s list of nine will not match.
Check 6
Chhau is named among the dance categories of the Akademi’s awards.
How has this been asked in exams?
Exam trap
Do not mix up the Akademi’s two dates. Honours began in 1952, and the Akademi was set up in 1953. Also remember that the Akademi is a body of the Ministry of Culture, and its Chairman is appointed by the President.
Quick Q&A
- Who appoints the Chairman? The President of India, for 5 years.
- What is the top honour? Akademi Ratna, with a purse of Rs 3 lakh.
- How many Akademi Puraskars a year? Up to 46, since 2022.
- What is the Yuva Puraskar purse? Rs 25,000.
- When were the first honours given? In 1952, a year before the Akademi itself began.
- Where is the registered office? Rabindra Bhavan, New Delhi.
In the news: June 2026
On 11 June 2026, the Ministry of Culture announced the awards for 2024 and 2025. The list covered Fellowships, Akademi Awards and the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar. A total of 108 artists were chosen for the Akademi Puraskar. And 106 young artists were chosen for the Yuva Puraskar.
The President confers the Fellowships. The Akademi Chairman confers the Yuva Puraskar.
Sources: News on AIR, 11 Jun 2026 (for in the news: june 2026).
- Dates: honours from 1952, Akademi set up in 1953, registered 11 September 1961.
- Top honour: Akademi Ratna, Rs 3 lakh, up to 40 Fellows.
- Puraskar: Rs 1 lakh, up to 46 a year.
- Yuva Puraskar: since 2006, Rs 25,000.
- Parent: Ministry of Culture, autonomous body.
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