By IANS,
New Delhi : Sarod exponent Amjad Ali Khan, vocalist Girija Devi and writer Ruskin Bond were Friday honoured with Lifetime Achievement Awards by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit for their oustanding contribution to their respective fields at the national and international level.
They were awarded Rs 11 lakh each and a citation.
Addressing the gathering of artistes, scholars, thinkers, writers and bureaucrats, the chief minister said such personalities were the assets of any nation.
“They help in moulding societies in such a way that their future becomes bright and enriched,” Dikshit said, adding her government was committed to “honour artistes, writers, poets, sportspersons and scholars for their outstanding, extraordinary and distinctive contribution in their respective fields”.
The award was instituted by the Delhi government’s Sahitya Kala Parishad in 2004 to felicitate on eminent personalities for their outstanding contributions to the fields of music, dance, theatre, visual arts, sports and literature.
Some of the previous recipients have been M.S. Subbulakshmi, Rahim Fahimuddin Dagar, Ebrahim Alkazi, Zohra Sehgal, Kapila Vatsayan, Habib Tanvir, Bhimsen Joshi, Vishwanathan Anand and Ram Kumar.