Kolkata born Manipuri Dancer Sohini Ray conferred Tagore National Scholarship

Kolkata-born eminent Manipuri dancer, scholar and cultural researcher Sohini Ray has been awarded the prestigious Tagore National Scholarship by the Ministry of Culture.

Ray, who is currently based in California, arrived in Imphal to share her achievement and gratitude with the cultural community of Manipur. Addressing a press conference at Yaiskul Sougaijam at the residence of her late guru Guru Bipin Singh, she described the fellowship as not merely a personal honour but a tribute to the entire tradition of Manipuri dance.

“I feel humble and grateful in receiving this fellowship. This is not only my recognition; it is the recognition of the entire Manipuri arts tradition. I hope more and more people receive this in the future,” Ray said. She noted that she is the third person from the field of Manipuri arts to receive the scholarship and the second Manipuri dancer to be honoured with the fellowship.

Although born in Kolkata, Ray said her emotional and intellectual ties with Manipur run deep. Over the decades, she has spent extensive time in the state travelling to remote areas, researching ritual dance traditions and participating in cultural performances and ceremonies. She added that receiving the scholarship inspired her to return to Manipur to share the moment with the community that shaped her artistic journey.

Ray began learning Manipuri dance in the 1970s at the age of seven under the guidance of Guru Bipin Singh. She trained at Manipuri Nartanalaya, where she later became the first student in the institution to learn and perform Manipuri drumming at the age of ten. By the age of thirteen she was performing alongside the renowned Jhaveri Sisters, and at fourteen she received the highly competitive National Cultural Talent Scholarship.

In 1999, Ray completed a postgraduate diploma in Manipuri dance and was awarded the title “Nartan Acharya” from Manipuri Nartanalaya while her guru was still alive. Over the years, her work expanded beyond performance to include scholarly research, particularly in the field of Meitei cultural revivalism.

Currently based in Los Angeles, Ray founded the institute Manipuri Dance Visions along with its performing unit, the Manipuri Dance Visions Ensemble. Her contributions to dance have earned international recognition, including the prestigious Lester Horton Award in 2008 for her acclaimed production Gita Govinda.

Academically, Ray holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from University of California, Los Angeles, where her research focused on the cultural history of Meitei Mayek. Her research involved years of fieldwork in Manipur, during which she also trained as a teacher of the script, deepening her understanding of the cultural ecosystem surrounding Manipuri performing arts.

Ray is also credited with pioneering the inclusion of Manipuri dance in the curriculum of dance departments at New York University and the University of California, Los Angeles, where she taught practical studio courses in the classical dance form for the first time.

Offering words of encouragement to young dancers, Ray emphasised that Manipuri dance is both unique and demanding. She urged students not to lose hope while pursuing the art form and stressed the need for greater initiatives to promote and preserve the tradition for future generations.