NEW DELHI: The Urdu Academy has instituted a new award for promotion of Urdu, literature, arts, and culture to popularise the language. A national-level honour will be conferred on a person, who has contributed significantly towards popularizing Urdu and its literature, said an official of the academy. The first award for the year 2019 will be given to Jaipur-based renowned Ghazal singers Ahmed Hussain and Mohammed Hussain.
“The decision to institute the award was approved by deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who is also the chairman of Urdu Academy, in the executive committee meeting held last month. The award comprises a shawl, shield, certificate and cash reward of C1lakh,” said the official.
Hussain brothers are sons of the famous Ghazal and thumri singer Ustad Afzal Hussain. The duo started their career in 1958 as classical and thumri artists belonging to Jaipur Gharana. Their first album was released in 1980 and went on to become a grand success. The official said that the award, recognizing excellence in the promotion of Urdu diverse fields would be conferred very soon.