Sangeet Natak Akademi Programme Officer Recruitment Exam – National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama

Sangeet Natak Akademi (National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama) is India's national apex body for the performing arts, established in 1953. It promotes and preserves classical, folk, and tribal performing arts across India. The Academy gives the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (the highest national recognition in performing arts), Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, and Amrit Award for senior Padma Awardees. Programme Officers manage performing arts events and festivals, fellowships and grants to artists, documentation and archiving of intangible cultural heritage, and coordination with regional centres and affiliated institutions.

The exam covers Performing Arts — Music, Dance, and Drama (Hindustani and Carnatic classical music traditions, gharanas and styles; classical dance forms — Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Odissi, Manipuri, Kuchipudi, Mohiniyattam, Sattriya, Kathakali; folk and tribal performing arts; Sanskrit and regional theatre traditions; modern theatre; music instruments and their classifications), Indian Cultural Heritage and Traditions, General Studies (Indian history, current affairs, cultural policies), and Arts Administration and language (programme management, grant administration, documentation, Hindi or English proficiency).

The eight classical dance forms recognised by Sangeet Natak Akademi are Bharatanatyam (Tamil Nadu), Kathak (North India), Odissi (Odisha), Manipuri (Manipur), Kuchipudi (Andhra Pradesh), Mohiniyattam (Kerala), Sattriya (Assam), and Kathakali (Kerala). Each form has distinct characteristics, costume traditions, musical accompaniment, technique vocabulary, and regional origins. The Akademi also recognises Chhau as a semi-classical form. Candidates should know the key exponents, gharanas or styles within each form, major festivals associated with each tradition, and the Akademi artists who have received awards in these forms.

Hindustani music knowledge should cover the major gharanas (Gwalior, Agra, Kirana, Jaipur-Atrauli, Bhindibazaar, Patiala), principal ragas and their time and season associations, major compositions forms (khayal, thumri, dhrupad, dhamar, tarana), prominent vocalists and instrumentalists, and major festivals. Carnatic music topics include the Trinity (Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar, Syama Sastri), major ragas, kriti compositions, prominent vocalists and veena/violin players. For both traditions, knowledge of prominent Sangeet Natak Akademi award recipients and their contributions is important.

The Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (Akademi Ratna) is the highest honour conferred by the Akademi, reserved for the most exceptional practitioners of the performing arts who have made outstanding lifetime contributions. Only a small number of fellowships are awarded, making it the most prestigious performing arts recognition in India. The Sangeet Natak Akademi Award is given annually to selected performing arts practitioners in music, dance, drama, folk and tribal arts, puppetry, and related fields. Programme Officers assist in the award selection, documentation of awardees' contributions, and organisation of award ceremonies and related events.