Shimla: The five-day 69th Drama and Dance Festival organised by All India Artists Association (A.I.A), Shimla at Kali Bari Hall and Gaiety Theatre concluded yesterday with an award distribution ceremony at Kali Bari Hall. Artists of all age groups participated in the event, in which more than 250 artists were awarded in the dance competition. Apart from this, 100 awards were given in the drama section. Apart from this, famous artists of the country were awarded with Shri Balraj Sahni Award, Shri Sudarshan Gaur Award and Shri Gopi Kishan Award.
Under the guidance of association president Rohitashv Gaur and his wife Dr. Rekha Gaur, more than 1,200 artists perform in Shimla every year through the programs of the association. AIA was founded by Rohitashv Gaur’s late father Sudarshan Gaur, his colleagues Madan Puri, Balraj Sahni, Prem Chopra and others. Earlier on Sunday, the association honoured 10 NGOs and social workers with the Indian Hero Award, 2024 at the historic Gaiety Theatre. The awardees included Gurmeet Singh of Nofal Ek Umeed, Vikas Thapta of Madad Sewa Trust, Nitin Vyas of Shamla Education and Social Welfare Trust, Bharti Sood Manav Sanstha, social worker Himanshu Kumar, Sood Sabha, Shimla, Shubhankar Sood, Sadav Foundation and Piyush of Bal Vikas International School.
