Gujarat: Prominent artists reject awards

Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi is now pitted against artistes. In a major snub to the Modi government, two well-known artists have turned down state honours as a show of protest.Dance artist Astad Deboo has rejected the Gujarat Sangeet Natak Akademy Award. The Padmashree winner turned down the honour saying that accepting the award would mean going against his secular ideals.Earlier, Kathak dancer Aditi Mangaldas has turned down the state Sangeet Natak academy's Gaurav Puraskar.