The Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for 2022 and 2023 was presented at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre, 15 Janpath, New Delhi, by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India on Friday, 22 November. Among the 39 recipients of this prestigious award, Bendang Walling, the founder of Hill Theatre and a renowned director from Nagaland, was conferred with the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for the year 2023 in the field of Direction. Walling became the first artist from Nagaland to receive this honor.
The award was presented by the Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. Established in 2006, the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar is awarded annually to outstanding young artistes under the age of 40 in various fields, including music, dance, drama, folk and tribal arts, and puppetry. The award aims to encourage and motivate artistes in more than 40 performing art forms across the country.
Walling, a performer and an artist himself, has been recognized for bringing stories and folklores to life through his passion and creativity in theatre direction. He expressed that the award he received was not just for his personal glory but also a message to his fellow Nagas, encouraging them to pursue careers in theatrical and performing arts. “There are prospects in this field, and it can be an instrument for social change,” Walling said.
Walling is an alumnus of the prestigious National School of Drama in New Delhi and the founder of Hill Theatre Nagaland. Over the past two decades, he has produced and directed numerous theatre plays and films. Some of his notable theatre productions include Chimti “The Ant”, Marriage in the Land of Death, The Wedding, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Wizard of Oz, Jina & Etiben, A Man Selling a Basket, Aro “Truth”, Jallian Walla Bagh Massacre, Walk of Hope, Oshi Yim, Beauty and the Beast, The Case of Longti Village, and Oliver Twist.
In terms of films, Walling directed Blissful (which was selected as a film fellow at the Dharamshala International Film Festival), Jarem, Dreams & Chaos (Season 1), which won the Kashi Indian International Film Festival Best Regional Web Series Award, Dreams & Chaos (Season 2), Senmang (which was selected as an official entry for the Nagaland Film Festival), and Silent Screams. He also acted in the Bollywood film Detective Byomkesh Bakshy (2015) and Paatal Lok (2024).
In addition to his creative works, Walling has received several awards throughout his career, and the recent Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar serves as yet another prestigious recognition of his contributions to the field of art.