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Stagecraft Awards Makes A Grand Comeback
- Instituted By Padmashree Usha Uthup, The Award Night Honours The Behind-The-Scene Stars
Kolkata, 9th September 2023:
Stagecraft Foundation, a philanthropist trust aimed at acknowledging and honouring individuals working tirelessly behind the scenes in the Live Stage arena, made a grand comeback after a hiatus of 4 years with the popular Stagecraft Awards 2023. Stagecraft is helmed by Padmashree Ms. Usha Uthup, the iconic Pop queen. The face of the Foundation is the acclaimed and beloved film supernova, Mr. Prosenjit Chatterjee, who was also in attendance amongst the whose who of the film industry.
We consider it an honor to host this grand event in collaboration with Science City, who shares the role of co-organizer, and this occasion aligns with Science City’s 25th-anniversary celebration, renowned internationally for their distinctive approach to science popularization, captivating millions of visitors through their innovative blend of education and entertainment.
This year, two eminent Hospitals came forward to show their support for the awardees. Apollo Hospitals and Disha Eye Hospitals, both leaders in healthcare and wellness, tied up with the S board as Health Partners. The awardees will be provided with free health checkups and cataract surgeries.
As the Founder- Trustee and Chairperson of Stagecraft Foundation Ms. Usha Uthup said, “Stagecraft Foundation acts as a platform for the numerous craftsmen behind the stage without whom stage production remains unfulfilled. These are men and women who never face the limelight but stay in the background giving their best to make each event, each show, and each programme a success. Stagecraft Foundation’s Awards are for these wonderful unsung heroes of show business. We are here to create a “KHUSHIYON KA RANGMANCH” exclusively for them.”
Mr. Anurag Kumar, Director of Science City sounded elated, and Mr. Anurag Kumar, Director of Science City sounded elated, “We are delighted about our valued association with Stagecraft Foundation for arranging a series of events over the coming years. Science City is now a permanent fixture in the sightseeing list of Kolkatans and visitors to the city alike for bringing science and technology to common people through fun-filled immersive experiences. Our Convention Centre, one of the largest auditoriums in this part of the country, was inaugurated on 21st December 1996 by the Nobel Laureate Paul J. Crutzen. It is an example of a Convention Centre of International Standards, perfect for holding conferences, symposiums, seminars, cultural extravaganzas & exhibitions. Over the years, it has become the melting pot for people from different walks of life starting from school students up to cultural connoisseurs. Notable events like an Interactive session with Sunita Williams, the NASA Astronaut; the World Music Day concert, the Panchakanya Panchaputra event; and the National Space Science Exhibition have been organized in the recent past. I would like to highlight the role of technicians backstage to make these programmes a huge success. I am proud to be connected with the awards being presented to the Vishwakarma avatars in the field of stagecraft, just a week before we celebrate Vishwakarma Puja.”
Speaking on the occasion, Arjun Kaggallu, General Manager of Novotel shared “Behind every successful story-telling and experience, there’s a team of unsung heroes who work tirelessly behind the scenes, making the magic happen. We are thankful for their dedication and hard work, which may not always be in the spotlight, but it doesn’t go unnoticed. The Stagecraft Foundation Awards Night 2023 is an important event to celebrate the unsung heroes/stars, and tonight as a heartiest from Novotel Kolkata, they are the brightest stars in the galaxy. Everyone’s time to shine will come, and when it does, it will be a moment worth celebrating. Heartfelt gratitude on behalf of all our Heartists from Novotel Kolkata to Usha Di & Team Stagecraft Foundation for making us hospitality partners for such a wonderful event celebrating the backbone of success.”
The gala performances at the Stagecraft Awards 2023 included sterling performances in tribute to greats who are no longer in our midst. Actress Rituparna Sengupta paid homage to the dance gurus, Birju Maharaj, Saroj Khan and Amala Shankar. Renowned singing virtuoso Kavita Krishnamurthy paid her special tribute to Lata Mangeshkar & Vani Jayram. Famed singer Amit Mishra, singer and songwriter, paid tribute to the KK through his mellifluous singing while acclaimed singer Nachiketa along with Ujjaini and Dhanshiri Chakraborty paid theirs to Narendra Chanchal, Bhupinder Singh, and Shakti Thakur. Actor Bonny Sengupta paid tribute to Rishi Kapoor through a dance performance. Singers Iman Chakraborty and Raghab Chatterjee paid tribute to Sandhya Mukherjee, Nirmala Mishra and Ruma Guha Thakurta.
This year, there were many highlights in terms of recognizing the best from the arena, Sri P.C. Sircar conferred two special awards, The Spirit Of Stagecraft to Madhab Chowdhury and Sanjit Sarkar for their vital roles in the magical journey of the internationally recognised Magician. This year, a special category of Foundation Recognition Award was bestowed to four caretakers of different venues.
Special Awards were felicitated upon the Late Kaushik Dutta of Splash for instituting the Asian Paints Sharad Samman and to Hasi Panchal, a sound engineer for having collaborated with greats like Manna Dey and Hemanta Mukhopadhyay.
The Hall of Fame was conferred to the Late Shri P. C. Mukherjee, Founder of Shiva, the rock band.
The core members of StageCraft Foundation are Ms. Usha Uthup, Mr. Anil Kuriakose, Mr. Shiladitya Chaudhury and Mr. Gautam Jain. Like previous years, this year too, the night humbly acknowledged some of the best hardworking souls from the arena and concluded with sparkling performances amidst loud cheers from the audience.
