Illuminating the stage with brilliance, 'Magician of Light' Dinesh Kumar Poddar receives the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award from the President of India
Media Serve
New Delhi [India], September 28: It would not be an exaggeration to call him a 'Magician of Light.' Whether illuminating stages for cultural events or Puja pandals, or handling lighting design for auditoriums and national-level programs, Dinesh Kumar Poddar—an artist for whom light itself seems to speak—has recently been honored with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in recognition of his long and tireless dedication to the craft. The President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, personally presented the award citation to him.
Dinesh Kumar Poddar is one of Eastern India's most renowned lighting designers, boasting over three decades of experience in the realms of theatre, classical and contemporary dance, and music. He began his career as a theatre actor and later worked as a set designer before mastering the art of stage lighting.
He received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2024) in the 'Allied Theatre Arts – Lighting' category from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India—presented by the Honorable President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu. Additionally, he has been honored with numerous accolades, including the West Bengal Government’s 'Best Lighting Designer' award (2007), 'Excellence in Stage Light Designing' (2013), the 'Bharat Nirman Award,' 'Usha Uthup’s Stagecraft Awards' (three times: 2014, 2016, 2018), the 'EEMA Spotlight Award' (2017), and the 'Outstanding Young Person of Calcutta' award (1998).
Widely recognized in the worlds of theatre and dance-drama, Poddar has created lighting designs for many of India's leading artists and directors. They include dance legends such as Pandit Birju Maharaj, Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, Vidushi Sanjukta Panigrahi, Mallika Sarabhai, Tanusree Shankar, Geeta Chandran, Ila Arun, Astad Deboo, Luna Poddar, and Saswati Sen; musicians such as Ustad Zakir Hussain, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Shankar Mahadevan, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Niladri Kumar, and Anoushka Shankar; and theatre directors like Shyamanand Jalan, Bratya Basu, and Suman Mukhopadhyay.
He has also designed lighting for international projects and toured countries such as the USA, UK, Germany, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, Egypt, Indonesia, Qatar, Scotland, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, and West Africa—many of these tours being organized under the aegis of the ICCR. His work has been showcased at events attended by Presidents, Prime Ministers, and Chief Ministers—including former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi, and Shri Yogi Adityanath—as well as at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
In addition to stage and lighting design, Poddar conducts practical workshops on lighting at institutions such as the National School of Drama, EZCC, and Rabindra Bharati University; he also provides technical support to the British Council, the US Consulate, and various other foreign consulates in Kolkata. He is widely acclaimed for his intricate and aesthetic lighting designs at various Durga Puja pandals across the city, with several of these projects having won awards. Upon receiving this honor, Dinesh Kumar Poddar said, "I am immensely proud. My journey has been illuminated by the path of light; today, this recognition—stemming from that very path—has further inspired me for the journey ahead. I am grateful to the Sangeet Natak Akademi for this award."
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