Satyaram Reang of Tripura has been awarded Padma Shri, one of the highest civilian awards of the country.
After Thanga Darlong and Beni Chandra Jamatia, Satyaram Reang became the third renowned person from the indigenous community of Tripura to receive such prestigious award in recent years. Himangshu Mohan Choudhury was the first Padma Shri awardee from Tripura. He was the youngest recipient of the awardee till Sachin became the youngest one to get the Padma awards. Till now, six persons of Tripura (excluding Somnath Dev Varman) won the Padma awards.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated all the Padma Awardees and tweeted, “We are proud of all those who have been conferred the Padma Awards. India cherishes their contribution to the nation and humanity at large. These exceptional individuals from different walks of life have brought qualitative changes in the lives of others”.
Born in 1943 and hailing from Birchandramanu of Santirbazar in South Tripura district, the Octogenarian has been given the honour for his exemplary contributions in the field of Arts. The Ministry of Home Affairs has announced the prestigious awards on the eve of Republic Day on Monday.
He has been performing in traditional festivals of his community since his childhood and is considered to be one of the most accomplished performers of the Hojagiri dance and of Kokborok songs. He is also the founder of Lokaranjan Shakha.
His dedicated work in preserving and promoting the traditional Hojagiri dance of the Reang community has been recognized by the people of the region, and by various institutions in north-eastern India.
He has also performed in Russia and also the recipient of Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for his contribution to the folk dance and music of Tripura.
