A doyen of Manipuri dance Rajkumar Singhajit Singh has been selected for the Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony for the year 2014. Rajkumar Singhajit Singh has distinguished himself both as an outstanding teacher, performer and choreographer.
His work over the years bears witness to his creativity within the framework of traditional Manipuri dance. The choreography by Rajkumar Singhajit Singh has been enriched by elements incorporated from various forms of performing arts of Manipur such as Thang-ta, Nata-Sankirtana, Lai-haraoba and Rasleela. The award recognizes the contribution of Rajkumar Singhajit Singh in keeping the tradition of Manipuri dance alive and vibrant, promoting harmony through dance and also pays tribute to Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, who, deeply influenced by Manipuri dance, made it an integral part of the education curriculum at Visva Bharati.
The Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony for the years 2015 & 2016 is being conferred on the Chhayanaut (a cultural organization of Bangladesh) and on one of India’s greatest sculptors, Ram Vanji Sutar, respectively.
The Jury under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and comprising of the Chief Justice of India, Justice Ranjan Gogoi, N. Gopalaswami & Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe after detailed discussions on 24th October, 2018 unanimously decided to select Rajkumar Singhajit Singh, Chhayanaut and Ram Vanji Sutar to be the recipients of the Tagore Award for the years 2014, 2015 & 2016 respectively, in recognition of their outstanding contribution to cultural harmony.
The annual award was instituted by the Government of India during the commemoration of 150th Birth Anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore.
The first Tagore Award was conferred on Pt. Ravi Shankar, the Indian Sitar Maestro in 2012 and second was conferred on Zubin Mehta in 2013. The award carries an amount of Rs. 1 crore, a citation in a scroll, a plaque as well as an exquisite traditional handicraft/ handloom item. The award is open to all persons regardless of nationality, race, language, caste, creed or sex.
