Guru Bipin Singh

Guru Bipin Singh (23 August 1918 – 9 January 2000) was a director, choreographer and teacher of Manipuri dance.

Guru Bipin Singh
Born	23 August 1918 Singhari Village Silchar, Assam, British India
Died	9 January 2000 (Age 81) Kolkata, India
Nationality	Indian
Occupation	Dancer
Style	Manipuri dance
Awards	Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1966) , Kalidas Samman

Career

The son of a traditional medical doctor and a singer,^[1] Singh began training in his childhood,^[2] studying singing and dancing before focusing on Manipuri dance, especially under Guru Amudon Sharma,^[3] with the support of Manipur's king.^[4] Although he earned a living as a film choreographer,^[5] he did not lose focus on his desire to expand knowledge of the traditional dance form. As part of that effort, he created the Govindji Nartanalaya dance school ^[4] for women in Imphal and, in 1972, the Manipuri Nartanalaya dance school^[6] in Calcutta.

He choreographed many dance-dramas and solo dances and produced many students including Jhaveri Sisters (Darshana Jhaveri), Kalavati Devi, Binodini Devi, Guneswori Devi, Priti Patel, Sruti Bannerjee, Latasana Devi, Laily Basu, Indrani Devi, Manorama Devi, Poushali Chatterjee, Sohini Ray, Bimbavati Devi, Ranjini Basu.^[7]

Awards and honors

• Title of Hanjaba by the Maharaja of Manipur^[2]
• Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, 1966^[8]
• The Sharangadev fellowship by Sur Shringar Samsad^[2]
• Kalidas Samman by Madhya Pradesh Government^[2]
• Anamika Kala Sangam award, Kolkata^[2]
• Shiromoni Purashkar by Asian Paints, Kolkata^[2]