Bengaluru: Kuchipudi exponent Dr Veena Murthy Vijay has received the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for 2024, marking a major national recognition for her contribution to Indian classical dance. President Droupadi Murmu conferred the honour on her at a ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on August 13, 2026.
The recognition comes at a significant moment in Dr Veena Murthy Vijay’s career. Her Bengaluru-based dance institution, Sri Raja Rajeshwari Kalaniketan, which she directs, is completing 50 years. Founded in 1976, the institution has played a role in training students in Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi and promoting classical dance in Karnataka.
The award also adds to a long list of recognitions for the Bengaluru-based artiste, whose work has focused on preserving, teaching and taking Kuchipudi to wider audiences.
National recognition for Kuchipudi
The Sangeet Natak Akademi Award is among India’s prominent national honours for practitioners of music, dance and theatre.
Dr Veena Murthy Vijay was selected for the Akademi Puraskar for 2024 in the field of Kuchipudi, in recognition of her sustained contribution to the classical dance tradition. The award carries a cash prize of ₹3 lakh, along with a Tamrapatra and Angavastram.
The honour places her among artistes who have made significant contributions to India’s performing arts.
For Karnataka’s classical dance community, the recognition is particularly significant as it highlights the work being done in the state to preserve and promote dance traditions that originated in other parts of India.
Award presented by President Droupadi Murmu
President Droupadi Murmu presented the award to Dr Veena Murthy Vijay at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on August 13.
The ceremony brought together several artistes who were recognised for their contributions to India’s performing arts. Dr Murthy Vijay’s recognition was part of the Sangeet Natak Akademi’s honours for the year 2024.
Receiving the award from the President adds a significant milestone to her career and places national recognition on her decades of work as a dancer, choreographer and teacher.
Five decades of dance institution
The award comes as Dr Murthy Vijay’s Bengaluru-based dance school reaches an important milestone.
Sri Raja Rajeshwari Kalaniketan was established in 1976 and is now marking its 50th year. The institution has trained students in Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi under Dr Murthy Vijay’s guidance.
The coincidence of the institution’s golden jubilee and the national award makes 2026 particularly important for the artiste and her students.
Over the decades, the school has contributed to the classical dance ecosystem in Bengaluru by providing structured training and opportunities for students to learn traditional dance forms.
Focus on preserving Kuchipudi
Dr Murthy Vijay’s work extends beyond performing Kuchipudi on stage.
She has expressed a desire to revive the dance-drama tradition of Kuchipudi in Karnataka, rather than limiting the form to the solo repertoire that audiences commonly encounter today.
Her vision involves bringing greater attention to the theatrical aspects of the classical dance form.
Kuchipudi historically developed as a dance-drama tradition, combining movement, music, storytelling and dramatic presentation. Dr Murthy Vijay believes that this aspect of the art form deserves greater visibility in Karnataka.
Plans to revive dance-drama tradition
Speaking about her future plans, Dr Murthy Vijay has emphasised her interest in bringing Kuchipudi’s traditional dance-drama format back to Karnataka.
The approach reflects her larger interest in preserving the heritage of the form while ensuring that it remains accessible to contemporary audiences.
For students, such productions can provide exposure to aspects of Kuchipudi that go beyond individual performances and require an understanding of characterisation, storytelling, music and theatre.
Her plans could therefore provide another avenue for young dancers in Karnataka to explore the wider dimensions of the classical form.
A career built around teaching and performance
Dr Murthy Vijay has spent more than three decades performing and teaching classical dance.
According to her official profile, she has performed before audiences in India and abroad and has conducted workshops and lecture demonstrations at universities overseas.
Her career has therefore involved both performance and education.
This combination is important for classical dance forms, where the preservation of technique and tradition depends heavily on the guru-shishya relationship and structured training.
Through her institution and other educational activities, she has continued to introduce students to classical dance.
Earlier Karnataka recognition
The Sangeet Natak Akademi Award is not Dr Murthy Vijay’s first major recognition.
She was previously honoured with the Karnataka Kalashree Award by the Karnataka Sangeeta Nritya Academy for 2009-10.
The state-level recognition acknowledged her contribution to the performing arts in Karnataka.
Her latest national award represents another step in that journey, placing her work on a broader platform.
Kuchipudi’s presence in Karnataka
Karnataka has a strong tradition of classical music and dance, with Bengaluru serving as a major centre for performing arts.
While Bharatanatyam has a longstanding presence in the state, artistes and institutions have also helped establish Kuchipudi as an important part of Bengaluru’s classical dance scene.
Dr Murthy Vijay’s work has contributed to this development through teaching, performances and efforts to promote the form.
Her focus on Kuchipudi’s dance-drama tradition could further strengthen the presence of the form in the state.
Importance of national awards for classical arts
National awards such as the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award play an important role in recognising artistes whose careers may not always receive the same level of public attention as mainstream entertainment.
Classical dance requires years of training and continuous practice.
Recognition at the national level can help highlight the work of performers, teachers and scholars who dedicate decades to preserving traditional art forms.
For younger practitioners, such recognition can also provide encouragement to pursue classical arts professionally.
Karnataka artistes among awardees
Dr Murthy Vijay is among several artistes from Karnataka who have received Sangeet Natak Akademi honours.
The 2024 awardees from the state include artistes and scholars associated with different performing arts traditions, including Yakshagana, theatre, Hindustani music, instrumental music and folk traditions.
The recognition demonstrates the breadth of Karnataka’s contribution to India’s performing arts.
The state has a long history of producing artistes across classical and folk traditions, and national recognition for multiple practitioners underlines that cultural diversity.
Preserving tradition for a new generation
One of the biggest challenges facing classical arts is ensuring that traditional forms remain relevant to younger generations.
Dance institutions such as Dr Murthy Vijay’s play an important role in this process.
Regular training gives students the opportunity to learn the technical foundations of classical dance while also understanding its history, repertoire and cultural context.
The proposed revival of Kuchipudi’s dance-drama format could give students another way to connect with the tradition.
Bengaluru’s role as a cultural centre
Bengaluru has developed into one of India’s major cultural centres, with numerous institutions, performance venues and dance schools.
The city’s diverse artistic community has allowed practitioners of different classical forms to build audiences and train students.
Dr Murthy Vijay’s long association with Bengaluru reflects the city’s role in supporting classical arts.
Her award also brings attention to the work of artistes and institutions operating within the city’s cultural ecosystem.
Recognition after decades of dedication
For an artiste, receiving a national award after decades of work represents more than an individual achievement.
It is also recognition of the teachers, students, institutions and audiences that form part of a long artistic journey.
Dr Murthy Vijay’s career has involved performance, teaching and efforts to promote Kuchipudi.
The Sangeet Natak Akademi Award therefore acknowledges a sustained contribution rather than a single performance or project.
Her institution enters its 50th year
The timing of the award is especially notable because Sri Raja Rajeshwari Kalaniketan is completing 50 years.
Established in 1976, the institution has remained associated with classical dance education in Bengaluru.
The golden jubilee provides an opportunity to look back at the institution’s contribution while also planning for its future.
For Dr Murthy Vijay, the national award arrives at the beginning of another phase in that journey.
Looking towards the future
Despite receiving one of the country’s major honours for performing artists, Dr Murthy Vijay has indicated that her focus remains on continuing her work.
Her interest in reviving Kuchipudi’s dance-drama format suggests that she sees the award not simply as a culmination but also as encouragement to take the art form further.
Expanding training and creating more opportunities for performances could help introduce Kuchipudi to new audiences in Karnataka.
Inspiring young dancers
National recognition for a senior artiste can have a wider impact on aspiring performers.
Students who train in classical dance often spend years developing technique, rhythm, expression and stage experience.
Seeing their teachers and senior practitioners receive national honours can encourage them to continue pursuing the art form.
Dr Murthy Vijay’s career offers an example of how performance and teaching can be combined over several decades.
Kuchipudi beyond the stage
The preservation of Kuchipudi also involves documenting its repertoire, teaching traditional techniques and ensuring that younger practitioners understand the cultural context of the form.
Dance-drama productions can be particularly useful because they bring together multiple elements of the tradition.
They require performers to work not only as dancers but also as storytellers and actors.
Reviving this format in Karnataka could therefore broaden the way audiences experience Kuchipudi.
A milestone for Karnataka’s arts community
Dr Murthy Vijay’s award is also a moment of pride for Karnataka’s performing arts community.
The state has produced and nurtured practitioners across a wide range of traditions.
Her recognition adds Kuchipudi to the many artistic disciplines represented by Karnataka’s national award recipients.
It also highlights the contribution of Bengaluru-based cultural institutions to India’s wider performing arts landscape.
National honour, local roots
Although the award was presented in New Delhi, Dr Murthy Vijay’s artistic journey is closely connected with Bengaluru.
Her institution, students and performances have helped establish her as part of the city’s classical dance community.
The national honour therefore represents a journey from sustained local work to recognition at the national level.
It also demonstrates how cultural institutions outside the traditional geographical centres of a particular art form can contribute to its preservation.
Conclusion
Bengaluru: Kuchipudi exponent Dr Veena Murthy Vijay has received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for 2024, recognising her sustained contribution to one of India’s classical dance traditions. President Droupadi Murmu presented the honour at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on August 13.
The recognition comes as her Bengaluru-based dance institution, Sri Raja Rajeshwari Kalaniketan, completes 50 years since its establishment in 1976. With decades of experience as a performer, choreographer and teacher, Dr Murthy Vijay has played a role in promoting Kuchipudi through training and performances.
Her plans to revive Kuchipudi’s traditional dance-drama style in Karnataka give the award an added significance. As she looks towards the next phase of her career, the national recognition could provide further momentum to her efforts to preserve the classical form and introduce it to a new generation of dancers and audiences.