CHENNAI: The Music Academy has announced the names of artistes who will receive its annual awards, including the prestigious Sangita Kalanidhi and Nritya Kalanidhi, for 2026. Sangita Kalanidhi is set to be conferred on prominent Saraswati veena artiste Dr Jayanthi Kumaresh.
The executive committee of Music Academy, Madras, decided the awardees at its meeting on March 15, said N Murali, the president of the academy, in a press note.
Hailing from the Lalgudi family, Jayanthi Kumaresh began her tutelage under her mother Rajalakshmi and later trained under her aunt Padmavathi Ananthagopalan and maestro S Balachander.
She also received guidance from her uncle and maestro Lalgudi G Jayaraman, Sangita Kalanidhi T Brinda and Sangita Kala Acharyas Thanjavur Sankara Iyer and T R Subramaniam, the note added. A postgraduate in English with a PhD in Music, Jayanthi is one of the foremost exponents of the Saraswati veena.
She has contributed greatly to the popularity of the instrument and is known for her creative programmes to propagate Carnatic music, especially among the young. She has collaborated with the late tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain.
Nritya Kalanidhi will be conferred on Narendra G. A postgraduate from the Kalakshetra Foundation, Narendra is known for his extensive work in the field of Bharatanatyam. Having performed widely in India and abroad, he is one of the leading present-day exponents of the art form.