Shashidharan Nair to Receive Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in New Delhi

Veteran dancer and choreographer Shashidharan Nair was conferred the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (Akademi Puraskar) for 2024 for Creative and Experimental Dance by Hon'ble President of India Smt. Droupadi Murmu at a special investiture ceremony on Thursday, 13 August 2026, at 11:30 a.m. at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The ceremony conferred the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowships and Awards for 2024 and 2025 on 115 artistes across music, dance, theatre and allied performing arts.

The honour recognises six decades of Shashidharan Nair's contribution to Indian dance, choreography and cultural storytelling. Born in Kerala in 1954, he began learning Kathakali at the age of nine under Kalamandalam K. Padmanabhan Nair and went on to train under legendary gurus including SNA Awardees Kavungal Sankaran Kutty Paniker, Guru Krishna Chandra Naik, Prabhat Ganguly, Gul Bardhan and Yog Sunder Desai. His artistic training has encompassed Kathakali, Mayurbhanj Chhau, Uday Shankar's creative dance tradition, traditional Indian dance forms, improvisation, choreography and Kalaripayattu.

For over four decades, Nair has been closely associated with Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra as its premier choreographer, creating acclaimed productions and directing the mega-production Sampurna Ramayana, presented annually during Dussehra. His work has featured at Sangeet Natak Akademi's Choreography Festivals and represented India internationally for the Government of India. His production Parashurama was featured at the SNA Choreography Festival in Agartala in 2021.

Reflecting on the honour, Shashidharan Nair said, “I receive this recognition with a deep sense of gratitude. For six decades, dance has been my journey of learning, exploration and discovery, and I have been fortunate to learn from some of the finest gurus and artists of our country. This award is a recognition not only of my journey, but also of the traditions, teachers, institutions and fellow artists who have shaped it. I hope to continue creating, learning and contributing to Indian dance, while encouraging younger generations to remain rooted in our rich artistic heritage and yet find their own contemporary voice.”

Nair has also served on expert committees of the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Through his choreography, teaching and mentorship, he continues to contribute to the preservation and evolution of India's diverse dance traditions.