Frontrunner folk artistes of State Govind Ram Nirmalkar, Teejan Bai and Mokshda Chandrakar will be awarded D.litt on the convocation ceremony of Indira Kala Sangeet University (IKSU), Khairagarh, to be held in January.
The 12th convocation ceremony of IKSU will be organised in mid-January. This year, we will honour the prominent folk artistes who have contributed to the arts and musical heritage of our country with D.litt, said vice-chancellor Mandvi Singh.
The institution was set up by Raja Veerendra Bahadur Singh and Rani Padmavati in 1956, the VC said.
Padmashri recipient Nirmalkar is known for his contribution to theatre while Teejan Bai has brought laurels to the state by her Pandwani performances. Mokshda Chandrakar is folk singer. The three artistes will be honoured for nurturing and conservation the folk arts of the state.
Nirmalkar began his career in theatre at the age of 20 and continues to contribute in the field. He is remembered for his roles in plays like Charandas Chor, Agra Bazaar and many more. While working with renowned theatre personality Habib Tanveer, Nirmalkar has travelled and performed all over the globe. He has been honoured with Tulsi award by the Madhya Pradesh government and Mandarji award by the Chhattisgarh government.
Acting as a cultural messenger, Teejan Bai has taken the legacy of Pandwani to dozens of countries. She has been honoured with prestigious awards like Padmashri and Padma Bhushan.
Known as Nightingale of Chhattisgarh, Mokshda Chandrakar is daughter of famous ‘Nacha Gammat’ Dau Mahasingh. Along with folk singing, Chandrakar has also received formal education in classical singing from IKSU.