NEW DELHI: Music Maestro & Cultural Icon Abhay Rustum Sopori, who is credited for creating a Cultural Revolution & bringing the youth together through music, has been honoured with the prestigious ‘Atal Santoor Sadhna Shikhar Samman 2017’ for his unparallel path breaking contribution to the field of music. The award is named after the former Primer Minister of India Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee and was presented in New Delhi at the Parliament of India marking his 93rd Birthday.
The award was presented at a function organized by Vaibhav Welfare Society and was presented by Dr. Bhuvnesh Singhal, also an acclaimed writer, Shyam Jaju, National Vice President, BJP, Roshan Kansal and Gopal Jha. The award was also presented to Ashok Chakra awardee Shaheed Mohit Singh (Posthumously) who sacrificed his life for the country, renowned journalist Prabal Pratap singh for journalism, eminent dancers Nalini-Kamalini for Kathak Dance and others.
Abhay is a recipient of a number of national and international awards including the prestigious J&K State Award, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan National Media Award, Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar, Bharat Shiromani Award, Best Citizens of India Award, Sangeet Bhushan Award and many more. He has been instrumental in introducing ‘Cultural Policy’ in J&K and is acclaimed as the cultural face of J&K. He expressed his gratitude for the great honour bestowed upon him. He said the award is special as it was presented at the Parliament of India, the temple of democracy of the world.