The Delhi Government on Sunday presented lifetime Achievement Awards to veteran artistes Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan and Anjolie Ela Menon for their contribution in the field of music and painting.
The award was presented by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit at a ceremony organised by the Department of Art, Culture & languages, at the Sahitya Kala Parishad. The award carries a cheque of Rs 11 lakh and a citation. Khan and Menon have already been honoured with the Padma Bhushan and Padma Shree, respectively. Dikshit said that they both had brought made our country proud and her Government recognises the valuable contribution of cultural personalities. Ministers, MlAs, MPs, senior bureaucrats, eminent cultural personalities and distinguished personalities were present there.
Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan is a Hindustani classical music and vocalist. He has a rich repertoire, including Khayal, Dhrupad, Dhamar and Thumri music. Ustad is also a prolific writer and an inspired poet, having composed over 2,000 compositions under the pseudonym Rasn Piya. Many of the ‘bandishes’ that he sings are his own compositions. He has trained generations of students.
Anjolie Ela Menon is among India’s leading contemporary artists, and has created a name for herself in the domestic as well as international art scene. Her works are a part of significant museum, private and corporate collections across the globe. Though Menon normally prefers to work with oil on masonite, she has also experimented with other media such as glass, acrylic, computers, ceramics and painted junk. Born in 1940 in West Bengal, she pursued her studies at Sir JJ School of Art, Mumbai, and then went on to obtain a degree in English literature from Delhi University. During this phase, she was influenced by the works of artists like Modigliani and Indian painters like Amrita Shergil and MF Husain. At the age of 18 Anjolie Ela Menon showcased her works in much acclaimed solo exhibitions in Delhi and Mumbai.