Eminent scholar, musicologist, and theatre expert Shri Bharat Gupt has been conferred the Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian honours, for his exceptional contribution to Art, particularly in reviving and promoting classical Indian and Western theatre traditions.
A renowned academic and cultural theorist based in New Delhi, Prof. Gupt is celebrated for his groundbreaking comparative studies on Greek drama and Bharata’s Natyashastra. His work bridges the cultural heritage of the East and the West, offering deep insights into the roots of drama, aesthetics, and performance traditions.
Trained in classical sitar and surbahar, Prof. Gupt has not only performed but also taught Indian music and dramatic arts at institutions like the National School of Drama (NSD) and the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA). His key publications, such as Dramatic Concepts – Greek and Indian, are considered foundational texts in the field of comparative theatre.
Over the years, he has represented India in global forums, including international conferences and cultural symposiums in Greece, the UK, and the US, advocating the richness of Indian aesthetics and performance philosophies.
In recognition of his lifelong dedication to the arts, Prof. Gupt said:
“The Padma Shri is a reminder that India’s classical knowledge systems remain vital and globally relevant. It is my honour to serve this tradition.”
Prof. Gupt was earlier awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and has served as a trustee of IGNCA and Vice-Chair at NSD, further influencing policy and pedagogy in Indian arts.
With the Padma Shri 2025, India honours Prof. Bharat Gupt’s decades of work as a torchbearer of classical wisdom, theatrical innovation, and intercultural dialogue in the realm of performing arts.
