On the inaugural day of the sabha's annual December Art and Dance Festival and the All-India Natya Kala Conference, a dance artiste of merit and popularity is honoured with the birudhu 'Nritya Choodamani' carrying a cash award - a gold medallion, a scroll and a shawl. The award was instituted in 1974 and continues to be one of the most prestigious and coveted titles in the world of classical dance. It is the honour of the Nritya Choodamani awardee to convene that year's Natya Kala Conference.