Young Arun Dravid accompanying his Guru Kishoritai
in a vintage 1963 concert

The Gaan-Saraswati Puraskar was instituted by Dr. Arun Dravid in memory of late Gaan-Saraswati Padmavibhushan Kishori Amonkar who is her senior-most disciple, immediately following her sudden and tragic demise on April 3, 2017. This objective of this Puraskar is to pay homage to the memory of Gaan-Saraswati Kishoritai, as she was fondly called by her close disciples, annually by recognizing an eminent vocalist of Hindustani Classical music under the age of 50. It is hoped that this recognition will inspire the chosen artist to achieve greater heights in his or her musical career in future years. The artist so recognized can be from any Gharana of Hindustani Music, and the selection will be based purely on his or her merit. The Puraskar will carry a purse of Rs. one lakh and an honourable citation.

DMCC (https://dadarmatungaculturalcentre.org) is an establshed and well-respected organization serving the community since 1953 with activities relating to Art and Culture. The corpus for the Gaan-Saraswati Puraskar, arranged by Dr. Arun Dravid, has been entrusted with DMCC who will manage the corpus and carry out the administration of the Award each year. DMCC shall have the right to appoint one member as its nominee on the Award Committee.