Sitarist Manju Mehta gets 'Tansen Samman'

Noted sitar player Manju Mehta has been conferred with the 'Tansen Samman' for 2018 by the Madhya Pradesh government for her contribution in the field of music.

Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar presented the award to Mehta, 74, at the inaugural ceremony of the Tansen Music Festival here on Tuesday.

She was given a cash award of Rs 2 lakh and a memento.

Mehta, a recipient of several honours, learnt music from legendary sitar maestro late Pandit Ravi Shankar, an official in Madhya Pradesh's culture department said.

She runs a music school at Ahmedabad in Gujarat, the official added.

Meanwhile, the 'Raja Mansingh Tomar Honour' was given to the Sankat Mochan Pratishthan in Varanasi for 2017 and the Natrang Pratishthan of New Delhi for 2018.

The award is given to institutions for nurturing good music.

The Tansen Music Festival is organised every year by the MP culture department in the memory of Tansen, one of the greatest artists in Indian history.

It is being held in Gwalior since the past 94 years.