The Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for 2024 and 2025 went to 106 young performers on 19 October 2026, a national honour early in their careers. At Rabindra Bhavan in New Delhi, Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat presented the awards, the Sangeet Natak Akademi’s honour for artists under 40.
Two years of awards were given together, which is why the list is so long. It reaches well beyond the concert hall, from Hindustani and Carnatic music to classical and folk dance, theatre, puppetry and tribal arts.
What is the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar?
The Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar is the Sangeet Natak Akademi’s award for young performers in music, dance and theatre, open to artists up to the age of 40. Instituted in 2006 and named after the shehnai player Bismillah Khan, it carries a cash prize of ₹25,000, a tamrapatra (a copper plaque) and an angavastram.
Which musicians were honoured?
Among the musicians on the list is Mahalaxmi Shenoy, a Hindustani vocalist from Karkala in Karnataka’s Udupi district, whose award was reported with pride back home. She is joined by the Carnatic vocalists Sriranjani Santhanagopalan and Ranjani Vasuki, the tabla player Ramendra Singh Solanki and the harmonium player Tanmay Deochake.
One name stands out for the instrument alone. Isher Singh Namdhari plays the tar shehnai, a bowed string instrument fitted with a small metal horn that gives it a reedy, shehnai-like voice. Few players keep it alive today, and it is good to see it on a national list.
For many young musicians, an award like this arrives years before the Akademi’s senior honours. Those senior awards for 2024 and 2025, the Akademi Fellowships and the Akademi Puraskar, were conferred by the President at Vigyan Bhawan on 13 August 2026.
Why the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar matters
Recognition from the national academy opens doors: festival invitations, radio and broadcast work, and a line on a CV that organisers notice. For artists working away from the big music cities, or on instruments few people hear, it can be the first time their work is seen beyond their own region.
Young musicians are finding new stages too. Read how MALHAR 2026 drew young listeners to the classical tradition in New Delhi, see why Tadepalli Lokanatha Sarma is to receive the Sadguru Sangeetha Vidwanmani, and find more awards and honours news on No Thokpit.
Sources: All India Radio News, on the ceremony (19 October 2026); Manorama Yearbook, on the 19 October ceremony (21 October 2026); The Hans India, on Mahalaxmi Shenoy (27 October 2026); Sangeet Natak Akademi list of awardees (PIB, June 2026); All India Radio News, on the announcement (11 June 2026); GKToday, on the senior awards (August 2026)