Pune: The Bal Gandharva Award, a prestigious honor established by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to recognize senior artists, has not been distributed for the years 2020 and 2021.

Despite four years passing since the announcement of these awards, the recipients are still awaiting recognition. This delay has drawn criticism, with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) taking up the matter with PMC Commissioner Dr. Rajendra Bhosale on January 13.

A delegation led by MNS leaders Babu Wagaskar and city president Sainath Babar, accompanied by city secretary Ramesh Jadhav, Ravi Sahane, Sarang Saraf, and Srinivas Disale, submitted a memorandum to Dr. Bhosale. The memorandum highlighted the PMC's failure to honor artists as per its commitment. In response, Dr. Bhosale assured the delegation that a felicitation ceremony would be organized soon.

The PMC instituted the Bal Gandharva Award to commemorate the birth anniversary of the legendary actor Bal Gandharva and to honor a senior artist annually. Along with this award, five theatre artists are also felicitated for their contributions to the field. While this tradition was maintained regularly before the COVID-19 pandemic, the awards have not been distributed since 2020.

Senior singer-actress Nirmala Gogate was announced as the recipient of the 2020 Bal Gandharva Award, and classical vocalist Dr. Reva Natu was selected for 2021. However, neither of these esteemed artists has been felicitated to date. The delay and lack of communication regarding the awards have caused dissatisfaction among the artistic community.

Speaking on the issue, Wagaskar criticized the PMC’s inaction, stating that such negligence in the cultural capital of Maharashtra is unacceptable. The MNS has demanded that the PMC take immediate steps to restore the dignity and respect that artists deserve by honoring them without further delay.