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The iconic composer Ilayaraja was awarded this year's Nishagandhi Puraskaram.
"The 72-year-old maestro would be conferred the honour for his artistic excellence and contribution to Indian film music", said Mr. A. P. Anilkumar, Minister for Tourism, Kerala.
A recipient of the Padma Bhushan, Tamil Nadu-born Ilayaraja is hailed for raising the bar of mainstream music by his unique fusing of Indian folk music with various elements of Western classical to create a new genre that is hugely popular across regions and generations.
Mr. Oommen Chandy, Chief Minister of Kerala, inaugurated the annual Nishagandhi Dance and Music festival that was held from 20th to 27th January at the Nishagandhi open air auditorium in Thiruvananthapuram. He also presented the Nishagandhi Puraskaram to Mr. Ilayaraja.
The award consists of a purse of Rs 0.15 million, a citation and a statuette. The jury members included Mr. K. Jayakumar, former Chief Secretary and the Vice-Chancellor of Malayalam University, Mr. C. Gouridasan Nair, senior journalist, Mr. G. Kamala Vardhana Rao, Secretary, Kerala Tourism and Mr. P. I. Sheik Pareeth, Director, Kerala Tourism.
