Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 17: The Harmony Cultural Foundation hosted 10th edition of the Harmony India Awards, commemorating a decade of excellence in honoring cultural icons, young talents, and community leaders.
Held over two days, the event featured immersive performances, nostalgic tribute, and a workshop on traditional music, with the support of the Jammu & Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture, and Languages.
The celebration kicked off at the Writers Club, Jammu, with a music workshop on Indian classical music and Kashmiri folk instruments, conducted by Saurabh Zadoo. The session featured notable artists like Suraj Singh and Munir Ahmed Mir, alongside accomplished accompanists who demonstrated the rich heritage of Kashmir’s traditional instruments.
On the second day at Abhinav Theatre, Jammu, the Yuva Suron Ki Goonj initiative showcased young talents in J&K, including debut performances by Harshita Pandita presenting Ghazal by Bashir Badr, Aarna Ambardar presenting Indian classical dance, and Netra Tikoo presented a Kashmiri sufiyana composition based song.
The program concluded with the grand Harmony India Awards ceremony, presided over by Arvind Karwani (Relief Commissioner), Kuldeep Khoda (ex-DGP), Prof Sudhir Sopory (ex-VC JNU), Sanjeev Rana (ADG JKAACL), Kiran Wattal (ex-Municipal Commissioner), Dr Sameer Kaul and Javaid Rahi.
This year’s awardees included eminent personalities across various fields who have made remarkable contributions to Jammu & Kashmir’s cultural and social landscape. Lifetime achievement Awards were presented to Triloke Koul (Fine Arts) and Makhan Lal Saraf (Theatre and Acting). The Harmony India Mata Lalleshwari Lalded Samman was awarded to Prof Sudhir K Sopory (Education & Science), while the Pt Bhajan Sopori Smriti Samman recognized the Saaz Nawaz Group (Kashmiri Sufiyana Music).
Other awardees included Dr Samita Bhat (Medicine and Public Healthcare) and Shrestha Samman awardees Prem Nath Shad (Kashmiri Poetry), Yogendra Tiku (Acting), Avtar Mota (Poetry and Writing), and Suraj Singh (Light Music). The National Icon Award was conferred upon Sheetal Devi and Rakesh Kumar (Sports), while the State Icon Award was conferred upon Neeraj Bakshi and Suman Gupta (Fine Arts), Ramesh Maratha(Radio & Broadcasting), Jasleen Kour (Entrepreneurship), Ashwani Kumar, Sameer Bhat (Journalism). The Community Icon Award honored Sanjay Dhar (Sharika Foundation) for his contributions in social service, and the Yuva Puraskar (Youth Award) celebrated young achievers Ifra Kak (Theatre) and Sheena Saraf (Sports).
Follow our WhatsApp channel
