Eminent Bharat Natyam artist Dr. Mandakranta Roy of Tripura has been awarded with coveted Sangeet Natak Akademi Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for the years 2022. The Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar carries a purse of Rs 25,000, along with a Tamrapatra and Angavastram.
The Sangeet Natak Akademi fellowships and awards will be conferred by the President of India at a special investiture ceremony.
The Akademi Awards have been conferred since 1952. These honours not only symbolise the highest standard of excellence and achievement, but also recognise sustained individual work and contribution.
Dr. Mandakranta Roy is a leading soloist in Bharatanatyam from Tripura and is trained in Hindustani classical music and Rabindra Sangeet. A B.Sc. gold medalist in Botany and a Doctorate in the same subject, Roy is also a post graduate in Bharatanatyam with highest scoring marks from Indira Kala Sangeet Viswa Vidyalaya. She is also a recipient of Sangeet Ratna title in Rabindra Nritya and is a silver medalist from Bangiya Parishad Board. She was trained by Padma Bhushan Prof. C. V. Chandrasekhar, Hira Dey at Kalatirtha, Agartala and later under Dr. Thankamani Kutty, Kalamandalam Kolkata. She has also attended several workshops conducted by veteran gurus including Padma Bhushan Saroja Vaidyanathan, Padma Bhushan V.P Dhananjayan and Padma Bhushan Shanta Dhananjayan, Padmashri Leela Samson, Rama Vaidyanathan, Sri P. T. Narendran and Sri Khagendra Nath Barman.
A graded artiste of Doordarshan Kendra Agartala, A+ graded empanelled artiste of Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (EZCC), an empanelled artiste in the workshop and demonstration programme of SPIC MACAY and also awarded with Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) in Bharatanatyam by CCRT, Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India, Roy has performed in several prestigious festivals.
