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Created: 15 March 2020

JAMMU: Two artistes from Jammu and Kashmir have been honoured by being bestowed with Natsamrat Theatre Awards 2020. Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardee Mushtaq Kak from Jammu and Padam Shri Bansi Kaul from Srinagar were awarded with awards in different categories at 12th Natsmarat Theatre Awards function held at New Delhi.

Speaking on the occasion, Kak said that ‘Best Director’ award has been conferred upon him while Padam Shri Padam Shri Bansi Kaul has been conferred ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’. On the occasion Kak said that he has spent 10 long years at Shri Ram Centre as a director and his close connection with Delhi has given him warmth and love besides helping him in coming up with some of the great theatre productions.

Kak has been regular observer , judge and coordinator of various national theatre festival held in past in different states of the country and is one leading Indian theatrist whose three plays were screened and witnessed by representatives of 80 countries in Global Culture Summit at Abu Dhabi held in 2017.

He was also one of the eminent members of screening committee of Theatre Olympiad 8, an international theatre festival organized by Culture Department, government of India and National School of Drama. Bansi Kaul born in Srinagar later graduated from National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi in 1973. He started his career as a director with NSD Repertory Company and was also in the faculty of the school for many years, before forming his own theatre group in 1984.

He was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1995, and the Padma Shri by Government of India in 2014. His most known performance is 'Kehan Kabir', based on collected works of poet-saint Kabir.  He is conferred with Rashtriya Kalidas Samman for the year 2016–17