Renowned Pandavani folk singer Padmabhushan Tijan Bai will be conferred Bharatmuni Samman 2016. Bai will be the eighth cultural cult figure to receive the coveted national honour.
Instituted by Bhubaneswar-based cultural organisation Kalingayana Touryatrikam, the award is presented annually to a nationally acclaimed artiste as a tribute to sage Bharatmuni, whose magnum opus Natyashastra is treated as 5th Veda. Bai was chosen for her contribution to project, propagate, promote and popularise Indian folk music across the globe. The earlier years' awardees were Thankamani Kutty, Pandit Birju Mahara, Pandit Jasraj, Ratan Thiyam, Hema Malini, Hariprasad Chaurasia and Raghunath Mohapatra.
Bai will be presented the award during the closing day of two-day Bharatmuni Festival to be held here on December 15 and 16.