The 13th edition of the Sur Jyotsna National Music Awards, held in New Delhi, honoured Hindustani vocalists Sumitra Guha and Pandit Laxman Krishnarao Pandit for their contribution to Indian classical music; the awards were instituted in memory of Jyotsna Darda, founder of Lokmat Sakhi Manch.

The 13th edition of the Sur Jyotsna National Music Awards was held at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi, honouring renowned Hindustani classical vocalists Sumitra Guha and Pandit Laxman Krishnarao Pandit. The awards were instituted in memory of Jyotsna Darda, founder of Lokmat Sakhi Manch, by the Lokmat Media Group, to recognise excellence in Indian classical music and encourage emerging talent across vocal and instrumental categories. The 2026 ceremony was presented by Supreme Court judge Justice Sandeep Mehta, and featured opening and closing performances by Kailash Kher and his band Kailasa Live. Among the attendees were Union ministers Ramdas Athawale, Shripad Naik, and S P Singh Baghel, along with former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. Vijay Darda, Chairman of the Lokmat Media Group Editorial Board, spoke on the spiritual and emotional power of Indian classical music. This year's awards were organised across nine cities — Nagpur, Yavatmal, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Kolhapur, Pune, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and New Delhi — reflecting the platform's effort to take classical music beyond metropolitan centres. Indian classical music has two principal traditions — Hindustani (North Indian) and Carnatic (South Indian) — and is recognised by UNESCO frameworks for intangible cultural heritage.

Awards

13th edition of the Sur Jyotsna National Music Awards

Honourees (2026)

Sumitra Guha and Pandit Laxman Krishnarao Pandit (Hindustani classical vocalists)

Instituted by

Lokmat Media Group, in memory of Jyotsna Darda (founder of Lokmat Sakhi Manch)

Venue

Dr Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi

Presented by

Justice Sandeep Mehta, Supreme Court of India

Performances

Kailash Kher with Kailasa Live (opening and closing)

Cities covered

9 cities — Nagpur, Yavatmal, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Kolhapur, Pune, Mumbai, Bengaluru, New Delhi

• •Hindustani vs Carnatic: Hindustani is the North Indian classical tradition (absorbed Persian and Central Asian influences after the medieval period); Carnatic is the South Indian classical tradition (more devotional, preserved older theoretical structures); both rest on the raga and tala system
• •Sangita Ratnakara: Foundational Sanskrit treatise on Indian music by Sarngadeva, 13th century; pre-dates the Hindustani-Carnatic split; references both traditions
• •UNESCO ICH inscriptions from India: India has 15 elements on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (as of 2023), most recently Garba of Gujarat (2023) and Kolkata Durga Puja (2021)
• •Hindustani gharanas: Major vocal gharanas include Gwalior, Agra, Jaipur-Atrauli, Kirana, Patiala, Bhendibazaar, and Mewati; major instrumental traditions cover sitar, sarod, sarangi, tabla
• •Carnatic Trinity: Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar, and Syama Sastri — the three foundational composer-saints of Carnatic music; lived in the 18th-19th centuries
• •Lokmat Media Group: Indian media conglomerate founded in 1971; publishes Lokmat (Marathi daily); chairman Vijay Darda; Lokmat Sakhi Manch is its women's-empowerment platform founded by Jyotsna Darda
• •Dr Ambedkar International Centre: Major conference and cultural venue in New Delhi; managed by the Dr Ambedkar Foundation under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment; inaugurated 2018
• •Kailash Kher: Indian playback and folk-Sufi singer; known for blending Indian folk, Sufi, and contemporary music; band 'Kailasa'; Padma Shri 2017
• •Sumitra Guha: Indian Hindustani classical vocalist; trained in both Hindustani and Carnatic traditions; Padma Shri 2010
• •Pandit Laxman Krishnarao Pandit: Hindustani classical vocalist of the Gwalior gharana; carrier of one of the oldest gharana traditions; Padma Shri

1. 13th century
   Sangita Ratnakara of Sarngadeva — foundational Sanskrit treatise on Indian music
2. 1971
   Lokmat Media Group founded
3. 2008
   Vedic chanting, Kutiyattam Sanskrit theatre, and Ramlila inscribed on UNESCO ICH list
4. 2018
   Dr Ambedkar International Centre inaugurated in New Delhi
5. 2023
   Garba of Gujarat inscribed on UNESCO ICH list (15th Indian element)
6. 2026
   13th edition of Sur Jyotsna National Music Awards honours Sumitra Guha and Pandit Laxman Krishnarao Pandit

• Trap · Sur Jyotsna edition number

  Correct: 13th edition in 2026; not 10th and not 25th

• Trap · Awards venue

  Correct: Dr Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi (managed by Dr Ambedkar Foundation under Ministry of Social Justice); not Vigyan Bhawan and not Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts

• Trap · Hindustani vs Carnatic tradition

  Correct: Hindustani = North Indian; Carnatic = South Indian; both honourees in 2026 are Hindustani vocalists

• Trap · Lokmat Sakhi Manch founder

  Correct: Jyotsna Darda — the awards are named in her memory; Vijay Darda is the current Chairman of the Lokmat Media Group Editorial Board

• Trap · Carnatic Trinity composers

  Correct: Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar, and Syama Sastri — the three foundational composer-saints of Carnatic music; do not confuse with Hindustani gharana founders

• Trap · Most recent UNESCO ICH inscription from India

  Correct: Garba of Gujarat — inscribed in 2023; India has 15 ICH inscriptions in total