Renowned classical and playback singer Kavita Krishnamurti Subramaniam and musician Ricky Kej were conferred Legend Award and Icon Award, respectively, at the 12th Lokmat Sur Jyotsna National Music Awards ceremony on Friday evening.
A tribute to India's rich musical heritage, the evening also saw lively performances by the Sur Jyotsna Band, featuring past awardees Mehtab Ali, Hargun Kaur, Prathamesh Laghate, Anjali Gaikwad, Shikhar Naad Qureshi, Ramakant Gaikwad, Shadaj Godkhindi and Ojas Adhiya.
The award ceremony was headed by renowned violinist L Subramaniam, chairman of editorial board of Lokmat Media Group and former Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Darda, Khushboo Goyal of Karnataka State Industrial Development Corporation, Addl Director General of Police, Karnataka, Sunil Agarwal; and jury members - classical scholar Shashi Vyas and music expert and composer Gauri Yadwadkar.
The awards, instituted in memory of music patron and founder of Lokmat Sakhi Manch Jyotsna Darda, recognise not just established legends but also rising talents across genres including classical, popular, and folk traditions.
“I must say, I am a student in music, not a master. But maybe, in my next life I hope I will be a master. It’s the great people who cherish your character, who bring finer emotions into you, and make you look beyond wealth and success," Krishnamurti said.
Three-time Grammy award winner Kej highlighted global issues like climate change and pollution and said these problems can be tackled by changing people's mindset.
“To solve these problems, we need to work on changing people's mentalities through the language of music. I believe musicians have a crucial role to play in driving societal change. We need to communicate these very important messages to our audiences," he said.
In its earlier editions, the awards have been conferred upon renowned singers, artistes, musicians and lyricists including Usha Mangeshkar, Javed Akhtar, Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar, Pandit Vijay Ghate, Nitin Mukesh and Talat Aziz.
Darda reflected on the impact of music on the lives of people and said that through music, humans have kept their lives balanced.
“We are all fortunate that our lives flow with the melody, instruments, and music. There is a whole science behind the creation of ragas. Humans need energy in the morning and peace in the evening, and ragas are created accordingly. It is even believed that in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, music played a role in the birth of the goddess.
"It has also been proven that through music, humans have kept their lives balanced. People associated with music have nurtured good behaviour and human values," the former MP said.
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