News Desk, Bangladesh Global: Celebrated Rabindra Sangeet singer Rezwana Choudhury Bannya has received the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award presented by India. The Bangladeshi musician’s name is among the list of Padma Awards published by the Indian government on Thursday. The list is announced on the occasion of India’s Republic Day, Jan 26, every year.
Bannya, who was recognised for ‘distinguished service’ in the field of art, is the only Bangladeshi on the list this year. Born on Jan 13, 1957 in the Rangpur district, Bannya first studied at Chhayanaut and then at Visva Bharati University in India. There she grew close with a number of notable musicians, including Santidev Ghosh, Kanika Bandyopadhyay, Nilima Sen and Ashish Bandyopadhyay.
Bannya, the founder of music education institute Surer Dhara, has written several books on Tagore’s music. She was also awarded the ‘Bangabhushan’ by the West Bengal government and the Feroza Begum Memorial Gold Medal.
Bangladesh previously recognised Bannya’s contributions to music and her promotion of Rabindranath Tagore’s music with an Independence Award in 2016. In 2022, the Bangladesh government launched a website that preserved 5,000 songs by Bannya alongside a biography and photographs. She was the first Rabindra Sangeet singer to receive the honour.
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