Cultural stalwarts honoured with Legends of India Lifetime Achievement Awards
From Bharatanatyam and Hindustani classical music to theatre and sculpture, stalwarts of Indian traditional arts were honoured with the Legends of India Lifetime Achievement Awards 2026 at a ceremony at the India International Centre recently.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu conferred the awards on Bharatanatyam artistes Guru V P Dhananjayan and Guru Shanta Dhananjayan; sitar maestro Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan; ghatam virtuoso T H Vinayakram; theatre practitioner Margi Madhu; and sculptor K S Radhakrishnan. The awardees were recognised for their decades-long contribution to India’s classical arts and cultural traditions.
Addressing the gathering, Sandhu said the ceremony was not merely about recognising individual artistes but about acknowledging the civilisational inheritance and living traditions they had sustained through decades of discipline and dedication. He said Indian classical music, dance, theatre and visual arts carry the country’s history, imagination and collective memory, while also acting as a form of cultural dialogue that can transcend linguistic and social differences.
He also made a case for a more dynamic approach to cultural preservation . At a time when technology is changing how people communicate and consume information, Sandhu said preserving tradition should not mean keeping it “frozen in the past”. Instead, traditions must remain relevant while younger generations are given opportunities to experience, learn and reinterpret them.
Calling for stronger engagement between young people and traditional arts, he suggested lectures, performances, workshops and opportunities to learn directly from practitioners. He also stressed that the responsibility of preserving India’s cultural heritage cannot rest solely with artistes and cultural institutions, but must involve families, educational institutions, civil society and the corporate sector.
Ambassador Lalit Mansingh, former foreign secretary and chairman of the awards’ jury, was present at the ceremony, along with Dipayan Mazumdar, founder chairman of Legends of India, artistes and other guests. Mansingh said the awards were intended to recognise artistes who had received limited recognition as well as “living legends” whose contributions risked being forgotten.
The Legends of India Lifetime Achievement Awards were conceptualised in 2002 to recognise accomplished artistes for their contribution to preserving and promoting traditional Indian art forms . Previous recipients have included Habib Tanvir, Zohra Sehgal, Sitara Devi, Girija Devi, Badal Sarkar, Yamini Krishnamurthy, Birju Maharaj and T N Krishnan, among others.
The 2026 awardees represent different strands of India's artistic inheritance.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu conferred the awards on Bharatanatyam artistes Guru V P Dhananjayan and Guru Shanta Dhananjayan; sitar maestro Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan; ghatam virtuoso T H Vinayakram; theatre practitioner Margi Madhu; and sculptor K S Radhakrishnan. The awardees were recognised for their decades-long contribution to India’s classical arts and cultural traditions.
Addressing the gathering, Sandhu said the ceremony was not merely about recognising individual artistes but about acknowledging the civilisational inheritance and living traditions they had sustained through decades of discipline and dedication. He said Indian classical music, dance, theatre and visual arts carry the country’s history, imagination and collective memory, while also acting as a form of cultural dialogue that can transcend linguistic and social differences.
He also made a case for a more dynamic approach to cultural preservation . At a time when technology is changing how people communicate and consume information, Sandhu said preserving tradition should not mean keeping it “frozen in the past”. Instead, traditions must remain relevant while younger generations are given opportunities to experience, learn and reinterpret them.
Calling for stronger engagement between young people and traditional arts, he suggested lectures, performances, workshops and opportunities to learn directly from practitioners. He also stressed that the responsibility of preserving India’s cultural heritage cannot rest solely with artistes and cultural institutions, but must involve families, educational institutions, civil society and the corporate sector.
Ambassador Lalit Mansingh, former foreign secretary and chairman of the awards’ jury, was present at the ceremony, along with Dipayan Mazumdar, founder chairman of Legends of India, artistes and other guests. Mansingh said the awards were intended to recognise artistes who had received limited recognition as well as “living legends” whose contributions risked being forgotten.
The Legends of India Lifetime Achievement Awards were conceptualised in 2002 to recognise accomplished artistes for their contribution to preserving and promoting traditional Indian art forms . Previous recipients have included Habib Tanvir, Zohra Sehgal, Sitara Devi, Girija Devi, Badal Sarkar, Yamini Krishnamurthy, Birju Maharaj and T N Krishnan, among others.
The 2026 awardees represent different strands of India's artistic inheritance.
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