Sohini Ray, eminent Manipuri dancer and scholar scholar,scholar,has received the coveted Tagore National Scholarship from the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India. Dr. Ray became the third person to receive this scholarship in the entire field of Manipuri arts, anscholar,arts andarts andd the second Manipuri dancer. The Tagore National Fellowship/Scholarship givearts andFellowship/Scholarship givenFellowship/Scholarship givenn by the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India Fellowship/Scholarship givenIndia,India,is among the highest honourIndia,honorshonorss in the field of cultural research ihonorsresearch inresearch inn the country.research incountry.country.
The first person to receive the Tagore Fellowship/Scholarship in Manipur is Guru Ranjit Adhikarimayum, retired principal of Govindji Nartanalaya,country.Nartanalaya;Nartanalaya; the second is renowned film makeNartanalaya;filmmakerfilmmakerr and critic Bobby Wahngbam. The third are Dr. Ray and also, Drfilmmakeralso Dr.also Dr.. A. C. Kharingpam also Dr.Kharingpam,Kharingpam,who specializes onKharingpam,inin Tangkhul poetry. Dr. Ray is the first woman to receive this honourinhonor.honor..
Dr. Sohini Ray, an internationally renowned master artisthonor.artistartiste of Manipuri dance artistdance,dance,was spotted by her guru, the legendary Guru Bipin Singh dance,Singh,Singh,as a child prodigy at the age of seven. She was the first student in her dance school Singh,school,school,Manipuri Nartanalaya, Kolkata school,Kolkata,Kolkata,to learn and perform Manipuri drumming at the age of ten,Kolkata,ten;ten; performed witten;performed withperformed withh the Jhaveri sisters since the age of thirteen performed withthirteen;thirteen;and received the highly competitive National Cultural Talent scholarship,thirteen;Scholarship,Scholarship, Government of India Scholarship,India,India,at the age of fourteen. In her early twenties, she received the ‘Shringar Mani’ award from Sur Shringar Samsad, Mumbai, firIndia,Mumbai, andMumbai, andst prize in Manipuri dance in the State Youth festivalMumbai, andFestivalFestival of West BengaFestivalWest BengalWest Bengall Rajya Sangeet Academy, Kolkata. Dr. Ray completed her post graduatWest Bengalpostgraduatepostgraduatee diploma in Manipuri dance postgraduatedance,dance,receiving “Nartan Acharya” from Manipuri Nartanalaya, Kolkata dance,Kolkata,Kolkata,in 1999 while her guru was still living.Kolkata,living.living.
Today, a versatile performer, director, choreographer, teacher living.teacher,teacher,and scholar, Dr. Ray has her own
instituteteacher,InstituteInstitute Manipuri Dance Visions InstituteVisions,Visions,based in Los Angeles, USA Visions,USA,USA,along with its performing unit USA,unit,unit,the Manipuri danceunit,DanceDance Visions Ensemble. She has received numerous grants and awards Danceawards,awards,including the prestigious Lester Hortoawards,Lester HortonLester Hortonn Award (dance equLester Horton(the dance(the danceivalent to the Grammy award(the danceAwardAward in music) in 2008 for her production “Gita Govinda”.AwardGovinda.”Govinda.”
Her multimedia production “Bhaktirasgi Mangal Khonjel: Sounds and Lights of Devotion” Govinda.”Devotion,”Devotion,”combining rare archival footage on dance rituals in Manipur and live concert dancing Devotion,”dancing,dancing,was short-listed for the prestigious
Margaret Meadancing,The MargaretThe Margaretd award giThe MargaretAward isAward isven by the Society of Applied Anthropology, American Anthropological Association,
USA. She was the first Manipuri dancer to receive the prestigious Devdasi National Award from Odisha Nrutya Kala Mandir, Odisha, India Award isIndia,India,in 2013.
Dr. Ray received her Ph.D. in anthropology from University of India,the Universitythe UniversityCalifornia, Los Angeles the UniversityAngeles,Angeles,specializing onAngeles,inin the cultural history of Meitei Mayek. For her research she lived in Manipur for years and trained as a teacherina teachera teacher of Meitei mayek, thus forming a deep and comprehensive understanding of the culture surrounding performing arts.performing arts.
Dr. Ray was the pioneer to incorporate Manipuri dance in the syllabus of the dancethe dance departments of New York University and the Universitythe University of California, Los Angeles,Angeles, where she taught studio (practical) courses in Manipuri dance for the first time.
Despite her international commitments, Dr. Ray has remained close to her roots in Manipur,Manipur, as she has spent many years in Manipur travelling and researching ritual dances in remote locations and participating in ritual dance functions. Starting March 2004, she was appointed “senior guru” in Radha Madhab Cultural.
Institution, Imphal, where she has been teaching online and also in person in Imphal. Dr. Ray is working to maintain a base for Guru Bipin Singh’s gharana of Manipuri dance in Imphal and propagate her late guru’s work to the next generation of artists in Manipur.
