Govt declares state cultural award winners 9 Jun 2009, 0357 hrs IST, TNN
PANAJI: The state government has announced 16 individual winners for the Goa state cultural awards for 2008-2009. For the first time, the government has also awarded the state cultural award to an institution. The award is given to a person above 55 years of age for "valuable contribution" in a field of art and carries a cash prize of Rs 20,000, a certificate, "shripal", a Nataraj replica and a shawl. The awards will be presented to the winners on June 18, 2009 at Kala Academy. The names of the winners were announced at a press conference by chief minister Digambar Kamat, who is also the minister for art and culture at his official Altinho residence on Monday. This year's awards have been given for eight categories but the highest number of five awards went to literature. Winners in literature include Gopalrao Mayenkar, Uday Bhembre, Ramesh Veluskar, V B Prabhu Desai and Bonaventure D'Pietro. Three persons have been awarded the cultural awards in music. These are Tulshidas Navelkar, Fr Bernardo Cota and Conceicao Diogo da Silva alias Connie M. In drama, the awards have been given to Dr Vijay Thali and Tulshidas Lotlikar. In folk art, the awardees are Amelia Dias and Eupsiquio Eusebio Antonio Ligorio Fernandes. Other winners include Eusebia Feleciana Pereira alias Sabina (tiatr), Saidas Apte (kirtan), Pundalik Kalangutkar (bhajan) and Kamlakant Chari (craft). Gomant Vidya Niketan, Margao, has also been awarded the state's first ever cultural award for an institution. The chief minister announced that the government has from this year implemented a new scheme"State cultural award for institution for outstanding performance in the field of art and culture". Gomant Vidya Niketan will be given a cash award of Rs one lakh and a memento. Under this new scheme, the government will give the award to any Goan institution working for Goan artistes for a period of at least five years and has given valuable contribution in the field of art and culture. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Goa/Govt-declares-state-cultural-award-winners/articleshow/4633167.cms
