By :Gautam Sharma
In a mildly shaky tone of voice with dewy eyes, while sitting in a wheelchair at the tiny corner of her veranda, the 89-year-old Thiyam Suryamukhi Devi from Imphal stated, “Even though I am weak, my thought is resolute that I will go to receive the award, and why shouldn’t I be happy?”
Thiyam Suryamukhi Devi, born in 1935 in Keisampat Leimajam Leikai-Imphal, is the lone octogenarian from Manipur among the 113 other names approved for conferment of the Padma Shri, the 4th highest civilian award, by the President of India on the eve of Republic Day.
While talking with her at her residence, the renowned classical dancer from Manipur recalls her initial days of a career that took off as a child artist of ‘Aryan Theater’, playing the role of ‘Modhuchandra’, the youngest son of King Bhagya Chandra, in the play Bhagyachandra. During the conversation, she also recites and recalls the names of all her Gurus from her early days in the 1950s, where she began her journey under the guidance of (late) Guru Yambem Mahabir Singh, Padma Shri Guru Amubi, and others. She later became a part of the ‘Ballet Unit’ in 1975 as a senior artist after joining the JN Manipuri Dance Academy.
Perhaps, the journey of Manipuri classical solo dance began with her performance of ‘Dasa Avataar’ (10 Incarnations). Afterwards, the Manipur State Kala Academy organized the first Manipuri Classical Solo Dance performance, which also began with ‘Dasa Avataar’.
There’s no place in the world now where Suryamukhi Devi hasn’t performed. She is one of the six Manipuri cultural delegates who represented the country and performed the rich Manipuri cultural dance in 1954 in the former Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Uzbek, Poland, Sweden, and Switzerland; Shanghai in 1955; and in China, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Hong Kong in 1956 as an Indian cultural delegate. Among the awards and accolades Suryamukhi received are the ‘Akademi Award’ in 1985 by Manipur State Kala Akademy; ‘Nirtya Bhushan’ by Manipur Sahitya Parishad; the ‘Akademi Award’ in 2003 by Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi; and the Guru Tarunkumar Sanman in 2009.
At this evening of her life, with the announcement of her name for conferment of the Padma Shri, Suryamukhi felt that all her prayers have been heard, fulfilling her dream by the government. She said, “Even though I am weak, my thought is resolute that I will go to receive the award. Why shouldn’t I be happy? It’s also because of the labor given to me by Gurus. This one is ‘Padma Shri’; it’s because of New Delhi’s recognition of my efforts and dedication. I have been in this field since the initiation of the Akademi (Dance Academy) in 1950.”
