On the evening of 9 December, Attendance awards 2023 was organised as a part of Nadam’s 24^th Anniversary celebrations, at A.D.A Rangamandira, Bengaluru.

In Ashish Mohan Khokar’s own words, “These awards are valued immensely by the dance fraternity, and given to young upcoming dancers to give them a national and international platform, while the awards to seniors and veterans are for their artistry and contributions. The jury is unknown and there is no canvassing, so the results include several surprises every year.  

A live nagaswaram welcomed the awardees, who had come from far and wide. A short film was screened, giving a brief glimpse into previous years, followed by a 2-minute introduction showcasing the lives of the awardees of this year.

This year, the youngest awardee was a talented male soloist, Laxminarayan Jena, who was given the Ramgopal Award for the Best Male Soloist. Incidentally, his Guru Mysore Nagaraj was also awarded along with him this year. The Mohan Khokar Dance Documentation award was given to Lalitha Venkat, senior coordinator of Narthaki.com, Chennai.Shama Bhate, disciple of guru Rohini Bhate, a renowned Kathak exponent received the Uday Shankar Choreography award.

Senior Bharatanatyam dancer Alarmel Valli received the Rukmini Devi award and expressed the pride she felt in being conferred this prestigious award. Mysore B Nagaraj was given the Overall Contribution Award for his efforts to carry forward this tradition.

The Lifetime Achievement award was given to the veteran, scholar, art lover, polyglot,  former Chief Secretary of the State, Ex-Ambassador to UNESCO, Chiranjiv Singh. This year, the first MK Saroja award was given to two dancers and teachers: Vidya Passard of Paris, whose award was received by Anuradha Narayan in her stead, and Deepa Krishnamurthy, who remembered her guru Govindarajan’s long links with guru MK Saroja.

All the awardees were presented with a stole etched with the Attendance logo. The proceedings were smoothly conducted with full logistical support from Nadam’s Murli Mohan Kalvakalva and Nandini Mehta, supporting Ashish Khokar and Elizabeth Khokar.