Lata Mangeshkar Award for year 2021-22 has been announced to Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia

The prestigious 'Gansamradni Lata Mangeshkar' award has been given to the Indian music director and classical flutist Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, the Maharashtra government announced recently. The purpose of this award is to celebrate and honour the artists who have done trailblazing work in the field of singing and music in Maharashtra for a long time. 

Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia receives Lata Mangeshkar Award for 2021-22

The Lata Mangeshkar Award is given in order to encourage the development of the art field. The nature of this award includes Rs. 5 lakhs in cash, memento and certificate. Born on July 1, 1938, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia is an eminent artiste par excellence who's known for his contribution to popularizing Indian Classical Music across the globe. 

Starting his vocal music learning at the age of 15, the artist later joined All India Radio as a composer and performer. Much later, under the tutelage of artist Annapurna Devi, Pandit Chaurasia learnt a lot about the craft. In his career, the flutist has collaborated with Shivkumar Sharma, forming a group called Shiv-Hari. The duo collaborated on many films including Silsila and Chandni. 

He also formed the pair 'Bhuban-Hari' with music director Bhubaneswar Mishra and they composed music for multiple Odia movies. Some of their popular songs include Muje janena kaha baata,  Maa o Mamata among others. In 2013, the musician's son Rajeev Chaurasia released a documentary based on the life and legacy of Chaurasia. It was co-produced by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. 

Meanwhile, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Classical Music Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, while the  Natvarya Prabhakar Panashikar Rangbhumi Lifetime Achievement Award for the year was given to Datta Bhagat and Satish Alekar. Among other awards, the Sangitacharya Annasaheb Kirloskar Music Theater Lifetime Achievement Award has been given to Sudhir Thakur.

(IMAGE: FACEBOOK/ @PT. HARIPRADAD CHAURASIA/ PTI)