The Kalidas Samman (Hindi: कालिदास सम्मान) is a prestigious arts award presented annually by the government of Madhya Pradesh in India. The award is named after Kālidāsa, a renowned Classical Sanskrit writer of ancient India, widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language.
The Kalidas Samman was first awarded in 1980. It was initially conferred in alternate years in the fields of Classical Music, Classical Dance, Theatre and Plastic Arts. From 1986-87 onwards, the awards were presented in all four fields every year. The award is presented for outstanding achievement in one of the four categories.
At present, the award carries a cash prize of 2 lakh (200,000) rupees. The winners are selected by a five member committee appointed by the Government of Madhya Pradesh, which consists of eminent artists, art critics and officials from the Sangeet Natak Akademi (India's National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama).
The recipients of the Kalidas Samman include[1]:
| Year | Name | Field |
|---|---|---|
| 1980-81 | Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer | Classical Music |
| Mallikarjun Mansur | Classical Music | |
| 1981-82 | K.G. Subramanian | Plastic Arts |
| 1982-83 | Sombhu Mitra | Theatre |
| 1983-84 | Rukmini Devi Arundale | Classical Dance |
| 1984-85 | Kumar Gandharva | Classical Music |
| 1985-86 | Ram Kumar | Plastic Arts |
| 1986-87 | Zia Mohiuddin Dagar | Classical Music |
| Birju Maharaj | Classical Dance | |
| Ebrahim Alkazi | Theatre | |
| Narayan Shridhar Bendre | Plastic Arts | |
| 1987-88 | Ravi Shankar | Classical Music |
| Vedantam Satyanarayana Sarma | Classical Dance | |
| P.L. Deshpande | Theatre | |
| M.F. Husain | Plastic Arts | |
| 1988-89 | M.S. Subbulakshmi | Classical Music |
| Kelucharan Mohapatra | Classical Dance | |
| Tripti Mitra | Theatre | |
| Tyeb Mehta | Plastic Arts | |
| 1989-90 | Vilayat Khan | Classical Music |
| Bipin Singh | Classical Dance | |
| Habib Tanvir | Theatre | |
| V.S. Gaitonde | Plastic Arts | |
| 1990-91 | Padma Subramanyam | Classical Dance |
| Vijay Tendulkar | Theatre | |
| 1991-92 | Ali Akbar Khan | Classical Music |
| Ram Narayan | Classical Music | |
| Vempati Chinna Satyam | Classical Dance | |
| Vijaya Mehta | Theatre | |
| J. Swaminathan | Plastic Arts | |
| 1992-93 | Ramankutty Nair | Classical Dance |
| Ammannur Madhava Chakyar | Classical Dance | |
| Badal Sarkar | Theatre | |
| Syed Haider Raza | Plastic Arts | |
| 1993-94 | Shanta Rao | Classical Dance |
| B.V. Karanth | Theatre | |
| 1994-95 | Padmavati Shaligram-Gokhale | Classical Music |
| Kavalam Narayan Panikkar | Theatre | |
| 1995-96 | Alla Rakha | Classical Music |
| Sitara Devi | Classical Dance | |
| 1996-97 | Kishan Maharaj | Classical Music |
| Mrinalini Sarabhai | Classical Dance | |
| Shriram Lagoo | Theatre | |
| Sheila Bhatia | Theatre | |
| Bhupen Khakhar | Plastic Arts | |
| 1997-98 | Pandit Jasraj | Classical Music |
| Kalyani Kutiamma | Classical Dance | |
| Tapas Sen | Theatre | |
| Akbar Padamsee | Plastic Arts | |
| 1998-99 | D. K. Pattammal | Classical Music |
| Kalanidhi Narayanan | Classical Dance | |
| Girish Karnad | Theatre | |
| Arpita Singh | Plastic Arts | |
| 1999-2000 | Hariprasad Chaurasia | Classical Music |
| K. P. Kittappa Pillai | Classical Dance | |
| Satyadev Dubey | Theatre | |
| Francis Newton Souza | Plastic Arts | |
| 2000-01 | M. Balamuralikrishna | Classical Music |
| Rohini Bhate | Classical Dance | |
| Zohra Sehgal | Theatre | |
| Sankho Chaudhuri | Plastic Arts | |
| 2001-02[2] | Sumati Mutatkar | Classical Music |
| Yamini Krishnamurthy | Classical Dance | |
| K.V. Subbanna | Theatre | |
| Jogen Chowdhury | Plastic Arts | |
| 2002-03 | Rahim Fahimuddin Dagar | Classical Music |
| Kumudini Lakhia | Classical Dance | |
| Khalid Chaudhary[3] | Theatre | |
| Ghulam Mohammed Sheikh | Plastic Arts | |
| 2003-04 | V.G. Jog | Classical Music |
| Chandralekha[4] | Classical Dance | |
| Gursharan Singh | Theatre | |
| Himmat Shah | Plastic Arts | |
| 2004-05 | Prabha Atre | Classical Music |
| Rajkumar Singhajit Singh | Classical Dance | |
| Devendra Raj Ankur | Theatre | |
| Nagji Patel | Plastic Arts | |
| 2005-06 | Zakir Hussain | Classical Music |
| Kanak Rele[5] | Classical Dance | |
| Ratan Thiyam | Theatre | |
| Manjit Bawa | Plastic Arts | |
| 2006-07[6] | Puttaraj Gavai | Classical Music |
| Sonal Mansingh | Classical Dance | |
| Vimal Lath | Theatre | |
| Shanti Dave | Plastic Arts | |
| 2007-08 | Balwantrai Bhatt | Classical Music |
| C.V. Chandrasekhar[7] | Classical Dance | |
| Babasaheb Purandare[8] | Theatre | |
| Satish Gujral | Plastic Arts | |
| 2008-09 | Chhannulal Mishra | Classical Music |
Award 2008-09: National Kalidas award (plastic arts)- Jairma Patel National Kalidas award (classical dance)-Kalamandlam Gopi National Kalidas award(classical music)- Chhanulal Mishra
Award 2009-10: National Kalidas award (plastic arts)- Krishna Kanhai