Elangbam Nilakanta Singh
Born(1927-10-04)4 October 1927
Keisamthong Elangbam Leikai, Imphal, Manipur, India
Died11 February 2000(2000-02-11) (aged 72)
OccupationWriter
Known forLiterature
AwardsPadma Shri (2000)
Sahitya Akademi Award (1987)

Elangbam Nilakanta Singh (1927-2000) was an Indian poet and critic,[1] considered by many as one of the pioneers of modern Meitei literature.[2][3] A recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1987, Nilakanta Singh was honored by the Government of India, in 2000, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri.[4]

Biography

Elangbam Nilakanta Singh was born at Keisamthong Elangbam Leikai in the capital of the Indian state of Manipur on 4 October 1927[5] to Lakhi Devi and Elangbam Bokul Singh, a primary school teacher, as the eldest of their eight children.[2][3][6] He did early schooling at Churachandpur and continued at Johnstone Higher Secondary School, Imphal from where he passed the matriculation in 1945. His pre university studies were at Murarichand College, Sylhet, in the present day Bangladesh and later, graduated in Arts (BA) from Gauhati University. He secured a post graduate degree of MA in Philosophy and LLB also from the same university.[1][2][6]

Singh started his career as a lecturer at D. M. College, Manipur in 1953 where he rose in ranks as a senior lecturer and the Head of the Department.[1] He worked as the Director of the Department of Social Welfare, the Government of India from which position he retired in 1986.[1][3] He was also a consultant at Manipur University in 1989, Senior Fellow of the Government of India in 1989 and a member of faculty of Philosophy at Manipur University from 1996 to 1997.[2][6] He was the general secretary of Manipur Sahitya Parishad for two terms, in 1958 and from 1964 till 1968, the president during 1993-94 and the executive member till his death in 2000.[2][3][6] He was also involved with several other cultural societies such as Naharol Sahitya Premi Samiti, Geeta Mandal, Jawaharlal Nehru Dance Academy, Manipur Cultural Forum, Arabindo Society, Mutua Museum and Divine Life Society.[2] Nilakanta Singh represented the Indian cultural delegation in many overseas visits to countries such as Hungary, Germany and France under the Indo European Cultural Exchange Programme in 1971.[1]

Singh has authored several publications which included poems, critical studies, travelogues and historical and cultural essays.[3][7][8][9] Some of his notable works are:

  • Tīrtha yātrā (poems)[10]
  • Matamagī wākhala (poems)[11]
  • Catlasine kadāidano ibāni (poems)[12]
  • Manipuri Seirang' (poems)[13]
  • Aspects of Indian culture (critical study)[14]
  • Saṃskr̥tigī śaklona (articles on culture and religion)[15]
  • Aikhoẏada haujika Rabīndranātha (essays on Rabindranath Tagore)[16]
  • Parishadakī Maṇipurī śaireṃ lāirika (poems)[17]
  • Manipuri dances (essays)[18]
  • Fragments of Manipuri Culture (essays)[19]
  • Achaiba lei (poems)[1]
  • Manipuri Kabitagi Chhanda Neinaba[6]
  • Houjiki Sahitya Amasung Sanskriti (essays)[6]
  • Monograph on Bhadra[6]
  • Monograph on Pandit Atombapu Sharma[6]
  • America ka unaba (travelogue)[6]
  • America Gi Esai (poems)[6]

He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award for his book Tīrtha yātrā in 1987.[3][5][6] In 2000, the Government of India honoured him with the civilian award of Padma Shri.[2] Nilakanta Singh died on 11 February 2000,[6] before the Padma Award investiture ceremony could take place.[2][3][5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Amaresh Datta (2006). The Encyclopaedia Of Indian Literature (Volume Two) (Devraj To Jyoti). Sahitya Akademi. p. 914. ISBN 9788126011940.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "E Pao". E Pao. 30 April 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "India Online". India Online. 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  4. ↑ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Padma Awards. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 "Imphal Online". Imphal Online. 2014. Archived from the original on 30 December 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Sangai Express". Sangai Express. 2014. Archived from the original on 30 December 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  7. ↑ "Worldcat". Worldcat. 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  8. ↑ Elangbam Nilakata Singh (October 1999). "Irabat and Social and Cultural Awakening in Manipur". MitkapThokpa.
  9. ↑ "Library of Congress". Library of Congress. 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  10. ↑ Elangbam Nilakanta Singh (1985). Tīrtha yātrā. Bhī. Āi. Pablikesansa. p. 111.
  11. ↑ Elangbam Nilakanta Singh (1973). Matamagī wākhala. p. 161.
  12. ↑ Elangbam Nilakanta Singh (1971). Catlasine kadāidano ibāni. Śrīelāṃbama Bijaẏakumāra Siṃha. p. 46.
  13. ↑ Elangbam Nilakanta Singh (1995). Manipuri Seirang. p. 296. ISBN 8172018886.
  14. ↑ Elangbam Nilakanta Singh (1982). Aspects of Indian culture. Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy. p. 192.
  15. ↑ E. Nilakanta Singh (1991). Saṃskr̥tigī śaklona. Imphal: Rāiṭarasa Phorama. p. 2176. OCLC 30154756.
  16. ↑ E. Nilakanta Singh (1991). Aikhoẏada haujika Rabīndranātha. Imphal: Maṇipurī Sāhitya Parishada. p. 98. OCLC 499984983.
  17. ↑ E. Nilakanta Singh, Nongthombam Biren (1972). Parishadakī Maṇipurī śaireṃ lāirika. Maṇipurī Sāhitya Parishada. p. 242. OCLC 39993271.
  18. ↑ E. Nilakanta Singh (1997). Manipuri dances. Omsons Publications. p. 143. ISBN 9788171171477. OCLC 040877008.
  19. ↑ E Nilakanta Singh (1993). Fragments of Manipuri Culture. Omsons Publications. p. 152. ISBN 9788171171095. OCLC 029595153.
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