Kodagu’s Shilpa Nanjappa Receives National Award for Bharatanatyam
New Delhi: Mukkatira Shilpa Nanjappa, a Bharatanatyam exponent from Kodagu, has received the prestigious Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for 2024, recognising her contributions to classical dance and the preservation of Kodava cultural heritage. The award was presented at a ceremony in New Delhi on October 19, 2026, by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, functioning under the Union Ministry of Culture.
The ceremony, held at the Meghdoot Complex at Rabindra Bhavan, associated with the Lalit Kala Akademi, honoured 106 young artistes from across the country for their achievements in music, dance, theatre and traditional performing arts. Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat presented the awards alongside Sangeet Natak Akademi chairperson Sandhya Purecha and Ministry of Culture secretary Vivek Aggarwal. The honours covered the 2024 and 2025 award cycles.
The Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar is among India’s leading national recognitions for emerging performing artistes below the age of 40. Shilpa’s achievement is particularly significant as she is the first person from Kodagu and the first from Kodava community to receive the distinction.
The selection process involves nominations from eminent artistes and previous Sangeet Natak Akademi award recipients. Candidates are assessed on their artistic accomplishments and contributions to their respective fields.
Shilpa’s recognition acknowledges her sustained efforts to document, safeguard and promote Kodava culture through research, alongside a performing career spanning nearly three decades. The award category of Overall Contribution and Scholarship recognises achievements extending beyond stage performances, including research, teaching, curation and other contributions to the arts.
She previously received a prestigious two-year Fellowship from the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT) for 2019–2021. Her research focused on adapting Kodava-language and literary compositions into classical formats and Bharatanatyam, exploring ways to integrate the community’s cultural traditions with classical dance.
Born in Bengaluru, Shilpa is currently based in Kodagu following her marriage to Mukkatira Pavan Nanjappa. She is the daughter of Allaranda Uthappa and Kaveriamma and is also an ‘A’ grade artiste of Doordarshan.
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