President of India felicitates Dr. Madhuri Barthwal with prestigious “WOMEN EMPOWERMENT AWARD”

The first outstanding woman music composer n singer of All India Radio Dr. Madhuri Bathwal was on the International Women’s Day 8th March honoured by the president of India Dr. Ram Nath Kovind with the prestigious women empowerment award called” Nari Shakti Puruskar” at Rashtrapati Bhawan alongwith other women recipients for their contributions in other fields.

Dr. Mrs Madhuri Barthwal is one of the significant treasure of Uttarakhand who’d been recognised for her exemplary contribution in music after long. ” BETTER LATE THAN NEVER”.

Having immensely contributed in the promotion and conservation of Uttarakhand’s folk music n songs Dr. Madhuri is credited for being the first ever woman composer of Music in All India Radio ( AIR, Akashwani). She had been credited with working for the incessant promotion, preservation and popularising the folk music of Uttarakhand’s Garhwal, Kumaon n Jaunsaari dialects for the last more than four decades not coming into public lime light.

She’d visited every part of Uttarakhand and imparted music education n training to vast number of children especially budding musicians n singers in the local dialects. Credit also goes to her for meticulously conserving the ancient n old music instruments of Uttarakhand considered to be our traditional musical treasure house. Her inspiring father Chandramani Uniyal had been immensely instrumental in shaping the destiny of her daughter as a music composer n director at a time when women were rarely recognised n appreciated for their interest in music.

After successfully seeking the degree in Music composition from Lansedown, Dr. Madhuri got the employment as Music teacher in her own Intermediate College at Lansedowne where she taught music for several years but also continued composing n directing music in All India Radio Nazibabad for years together as the first music composer. Dr. Madhuri Barthwal has also sung with the eminent singer of Uttarakhand Narendra Singh Negi.

About forty distinguished women from various fields were honoured by the president of India with prestigious ” “WOMEN EMPOWERMENT AWARD” at Rashtrapati Bhawan for their significant contributions in different fields of work. Those who’s be prominent amongst the women awardees were the news reader n senior journalist Neelam Sharma, Commando Traner Seema Rao, Women industrialist Kalpana Saroj, Brahma Kumar Shivani Verma, Rani Mistri Sunita Devi n Devika Amma etc.