SRINAGAR: A thirteen-year-old Rabab player, Ishfaq Hamid from Kreeri Baramullah has won the coveted Pradhan Mantri Bal Puraskar Award, bringing laurels and pride to Kashmir.
President of India Smt Daroupadi Murmu gave Ishfaq this award at Vigyan Bhawan on Monday. Ishfaq who also is a very skilled Matka player has previously received NGO Sarhad’s Bhai Mardana National Award 2020.
He was only eight years old when he started learning to play rabab from his father. Speaking to the media he stated that he was overjoyed to learn that he would be receiving the prestigious award from the hands of the President of India.
Ishfaq is currently studying in sixth standard and he stated that he started to learn the skill when he witnessed his cousin learning to play Rabab. He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for recognising his talent.
Besides these awards, he has also received praise and appreciation during the thirteenth Kashmir festival and Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s 550th Prakash Parv.
Ishfaq is representing the fourth generation of the Bhat Family, in which playing Rabab has been running through generations.
Ishfaq’s father, Abdul Hamid Bhat who has an experience of 35 years of playing Rabab, as he has inherited this skill from his father, has represented Kashmir at the recently held G20 Summit in New Delhi and Kashmir.
Abdul Hamid’s father Ghulam Qadir Bhat is a renowned Kashmiri Rabab maestro, who has previously graced Radio Kashmir.
Manoj Sinha, Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, congratulated Ishfaq for receiving the prestigious award. Taking to his micro-blogging website X, he wrote, “Congratulations to young maestro Ishfaq Hamid on winning Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar! Your achievements in the field of art & culture have brought immense pride to J&K. May your success continue to inspire others to pursue their artistic passion.”
Nineteen exceptional children from throughout the country have been recognized for their achievements. The honorees are from Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, Telangana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Tripura, Assam, Karnataka, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, and Andhra Pradesh.
The categories are Bravery, Art & Culture, Environment, Innovation, Science & Technology, Social Service, and Sports.
The awardees, nine boys and ten girls from 18 states and union territories, including two Aspirational Districts, will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 23 to share their inspiring stories and experiences. The honorees will also march in the Republic Day parade on January 26.
