BharatNotes What is Sangeet Natak Akademi?
The Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA) is India's national academy of music, dance and drama and the first national academy of the performing arts established by the Republic of India. It was created by a resolution of the (then) Ministry of Education, Government of India, dated 31 May 1952, and was formally inaugurated on 28 January 1953 by the first President, Dr Rajendra Prasad, at the Parliament House. Its first chairman was Dr P. V. Rajamannar. Today it functions as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Culture, with its registered office at Rabindra Bhavan, New Delhi.
The Akademi is the apex body for the preservation and promotion of India's intangible performing-arts heritage and serves as the country's nodal agency for intangible cultural heritage (ICH) under UNESCO frameworks.
Mandate and Structure
The SNA's core functions include documentation and research, training, support to institutions and individual artists, organising festivals and seminars, and conferring national honours. It maintains a documentation centre, an archive, and a gallery of musical instruments.
It operates through three constituent units:
| Constituent unit | Location | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Kathak Kendra (National Institute of Kathak Dance) | New Delhi | Premier institute for Kathak; est. 1964 |
| Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy (JNMDA) | Imphal | Manipuri dance; became SNA unit 1957 |
| Rabindra Rangshala | New Delhi | Open-air theatre, conceived during the Tagore centenary (early 1960s) |
In February 2024, the Akademi announced a regional centre, the Dakshin Bharat Sanskritik Kendra, in Hyderabad (PIB release, Feb 2024).
Awards and Honours
The Akademi confers India's most prestigious recognitions in the performing arts:
| Honour | Cash component | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Akademi Ratna (Fellowship) | Rs 3,00,000 | Highest honour; restricted to 40 living Fellows at any time |
| Akademi Puraskar (Award) | Rs 1,00,000 | Raised from Rs 50,000 in 2009 |
| Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar | Rs 25,000 | For young artists; instituted in 2006 |
Awardees also receive a Tamrapatra, an Angavastram and medical insurance cover. For the years 2022 and 2023 (announced via PIB, Feb 2024), the Akademi elected six Akademi Fellows and named 92 artists for the Akademi Awards; 80 young artists were chosen for the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar.
UPSC Angle
For Prelims, lock in the establishment year (1953), the parent ministry (Culture), the headquarters (Rabindra Bhavan), and the distinction from the Sahitya Akademi (letters) and Lalit Kala Akademi (fine arts) — a classic confusion set. For Mains GS1, the SNA illustrates State patronage of culture and the institutional safeguarding of intangible heritage, useful in answers on cultural preservation and India's soft power. Its constituent units and the Yuva Puraskar are frequent current-affairs hooks when annual awards are announced.
Sources: Sangeet Natak Akademi (sangeetnatak.gov.in), Indian Culture portal / Ministry of Culture (indianculture.gov.in), PIB releases on SNA awards (pib.gov.in).
