Maharaj Kumari Binodini Devi
BornWangolsana
(1922-02-06)6 February 1922
Royal Palace, Imphal, Manipur
Died17 January 2011(2011-01-17) (aged 88)[1]
Yaiskul, Imphal, Manipur
OccupationNovelist, short story writer, playwright, lyricist
CitizenshipIndian
Notable awardsJamini Sundar Guha Gold Medal (1966)
Padma Shri (1976)
Sahitya Akademi Award (1979)
ChildrenL. Devabrata Roy
L. Somi Roy

Maharaj Kumari Binodini Devi (6 February 1922 – 17 January 2011) was an Indian novelist, short story writer, playwright, lyricist and member of the royal family of Manipur.[2][1][3][4] She was the last princess of the erstwhile Kingdom of Manipur.[5] She published books under the name Binodini.[2] She was best known for her 1976 novel Boro Saheb Ongbi Sanatombi.

In 2014, she was conferred with the Best Story award at the 9th Manipur State Film Awards for the movie Nangna Kappa Pakchade.[6] The award was given posthumously.

Life

She was born to Sir Maharaj Churachand Singh, the King (Ningthou) of Manipur Kingdom and Maharani Dhanamanjuri on 6 February 1922 [7] and was known by the name Wangolsana or Sana Wangol in the royal palace. She was the first woman graduate of Manipur. Binodini married Dr. Laifungbam Nandalal Roy with whom she had two sons.

Career

She began writing at age 17 with a short story titled Imaton. Her first book was Nunggairakta Chandramukhi, a collection of 16 short stories published in 1965, for which she received the Jamini Sundar Guha Gold Medal. She received a Sahitya Akademi Award in 1979 for her magnum opus Boro Saheb Ongbi Sanatombi.[8] The novel is about her aunt Sanatombi and Manipur.

She wrote the play Ashangba Nongjabi (English: Crimson Rainclouds), and translated a play by Badal Sircar as Amasung Indrajit, which was later performed by artistes of the Manipur Dramatic Union (MDU), Imphal. She wrote lyrics for a song in the first Manipuri feature film Matamgi Manipur titled Lapna Lotna Leiyu. She also wrote scripts for Manipuri films like Olangthagee Wangmadasoo, Imagi Ningthem, Paokhum Ama, Ishanou, Sanabi, Mayophygee Macha, Thengmallabara Radha-Manbi and Nangna Kappa Pakchade. She also scripted Orchids of Manipur, Sangai: The Dancing Deer of Manipur, Rajarshri Bhagyachandra of Manipur and Laa, which are non-feature films. Her play Ashangba Nongjabi was later produced into a feature film. Her last novel Maharaj Churachandgi Imung was published in 2008.

Her short story Ngaihak Lambida was made into a non-feature film by Haobam Paban Kumar. In October 2001, she founded Leikol, a collective of women writers, bringing together women academicians, intellectuals and authors on a common platform where they can share various ideas and thoughts.

In 2002 and 2003, two non-feature films titled M.K. Binodini and Binodini: A Writer's Life respectively, documenting her life was made by Aribam Syam Sharma.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 "A Slice of Royalty". The Indian Express. India. 4 February 2015. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Binodini's Women: The three strong characters of My Son, My Precious". The Indian Express. India. 9 March 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  3. ↑ "M.K. BINODINI DEVI". Festival de Cannes 2019. Cannes, France: Cannes Film Festival. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  4. ↑ Written at London. "Maharaj Kumari Binodini Devi". The Times. London, UK. 16 March 2011. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  5. ↑ Roy, L. Somi (6 February 2013). "Biography of Maharaj Kumari Binodini Devi". UNT Digital Library. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  6. ↑ "9th & 10th Manipur Film Awards presented". The People's Chronicle.
  7. ↑ "Iconic Manipuri novelist M.K. Binodini's 'The Princess and the Political Agent' to release on May 11". www.indulgexpress.com.
  8. ↑ "Bor Saheb Ongbi Sanatombi vy M.K. Binodini: A Book Review". www.e-pao.net.
  9. ↑ "M.K. Binodini Devi anniversary memorial". nenow.in. 21 February 2018.
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