Alokananda Roy, a celebrated Indian classical dancer, choreographer, trainer, social reformer, dance educationist and therapist, was a student of Modern High School – where she taught later for several years – and at Shri Sikshayatan College, where she was a gold medallist.
Formally trained in Bharat Natyam and Odissi, she is best known for her innovative dancing styles and creative stage productions.
Her formal training includes a Diploma in Rabindra Sangeet from Dakshinee, a Diploma in pianoforte from Trinity College London, and rigorous training in Classical Ballet from the Calcutta School of Music.
She has also been a category ‘A’ artist of Doordarshan since 1976.
Her landmark social reform work (which we will naturally discuss this evening) began around 2000. Soon thereafter, she became associated with social reform through dance therapy in West Bengal Correctional Homes.
This blossomed into a pioneering initiative to reform, realign and rehabilitate convicts in the state correctional homes, since 2007.
For the same purpose, in 2010 she conceptualized and formed ‘Touch World’, a non-profit organization for reform and rehabilitation of prisoners and their families. The organization is also providing care and education to the children of the inmates of the Alipore Women’s Correctional Home.
She is also using dance as a therapy for specially-abled children and for Parkinson’s disease patients and it is showing a marked effect.
She has been the Brand Ambassador of Parkinson’s Diseases Patients Welfare Society, Dignity Foundation, Unmesh
– a centre for specially-abled children, Save The Children, and The Mother and Child Project
– Kolkata chapter.
She has travelled to Japan with underprivileged children no fewer than five times.
She has started two new initiatives since 2019, dance therapy for the transgender community and for the Acid Attack Survivors of West Bengal.
As a performing artist and social reformer, Smt. Alokananda Roy has received many prestigious awards, including the highest State Award, ‘Bongo Bibhushan’ in 2014, an Honorary D.Litt. degree from Diamond Harbor Women’s University, the West Bengal ‘State Academy Award’, the ‘Bharat Nirman’ Award, the ‘Devi Award’, the ‘SHE Award’, and the ‘True Legend’ Recognition by The Telegraph.
She has been honoured by the Indian Postal Service, who in 2019 released a Collector’s Edition ‘Alokananda Roy Personal Postage Stamp’ and a Special Cover in honour of ‘Love Therapy’, her Correctional Home project.
She is an Honorary citizen of New York City and Clarksville, U.S.A.
Munnie di (Alokananda) and I share a common MHS background and the days we spent in CLT (Children’s Little Society)
We spoke a little about how CLT, back the in the 60’s, shaped our lives and how we learnt to be who we are today
I remember Munnie di as the ‘para’ (neighbourhood) ‘bowdi’ (sister-in -law) who would light up the Ballygunge Cultural Puja committee more than the illumination in the pandal itself !!
We also talked about the countless times that she played the role of Shyama over the years and how each time she made the audience cried!
She has been actively involved in using cultural practices inside Correction Homes with both male and female inmates.
How did this happen? She said she had not planned it, just like she hadn’t planned anything else in her life – just ‘happened’ and grew and she became this miracle worker ! She has shown the world that the process around how love, care, music, and dance come together in a tapestry of incidents, anecdotes and feelings can actually create miracles.
Over the last two decades of her work inside Kolkata’s Presidency Correctional Home and Alipore Women’s Correctional Home, many inmates have been released, and nearly none has ever gone back to crime, which is unparalleled in any such work across the world. She had countless incidents to chat about .. the wit of the inmates, their response to her trust in them, how she has seen the darker side of human life which left her shocked and in despair .. I asked her how this body of work that she is doing and has done can be sustained .. she didn’t really have an answer to that but he true optimist that she is, she said she never gives up Hope.
IN THESE DARK AND ALMOST HOPELESS TIMES WE NEEDED TO MEET A BEACON OF HOPE AND LIGHT AND ALAKANADA IS JUST THAT – A SOURCE OF ILLUMINATION, COMING OUT OF HER EMPATHY, HER NON-JUDGEMENTAL ATTITUDE AND HER CAPACITY FOR LOVE.
Moksha Talks Episode 11: The road not taken: In conversation with Alokananda Roy
In Conversation with Alokananda Roy.
Alokananda Roy, a celebrated Indian classical dancer, choreographer, trainer, social reformer, dance educationist and therapist, was a student of Modern High School – where she taught later for several years – and at Shri Sikshayatan College, where she was a gold medallist.
Formally trained in Bharat Natyam and Odissi, she is best known for her innovative dancing styles and creative stage productions.
Her formal training includes a Diploma in Rabindra Sangeet from Dakshinee, a Diploma in pianoforte from Trinity College London, and rigorous training in Classical Ballet from the Calcutta School of Music.
She has also been a category ‘A’ artist of Doordarshan since 1976.
Her landmark social reform work (which we will naturally discuss this evening) began around 2000. Soon thereafter, she became associated with social reform through dance therapy in West Bengal Correctional Homes.
This blossomed into a pioneering initiative to reform, realign and rehabilitate convicts in the state correctional homes, since 2007.
For the same purpose, in 2010 she conceptualized and formed ‘Touch World’, a non-profit organization for reform and rehabilitation of prisoners and their families. The organization is also providing care and education to the children of the inmates of the Alipore Women’s Correctional Home.
She is also using dance as a therapy for specially-abled children and for Parkinson’s disease patients and it is showing a marked effect.
She has been the Brand Ambassador of Parkinson’s Diseases Patients Welfare Society, Dignity Foundation, Unmesh
– a centre for specially-abled children, Save The Children, and The Mother and Child Project
– Kolkata chapter.
She has travelled to Japan with underprivileged children no fewer than five times.
She has started two new initiatives since 2019, dance therapy for the transgender community and for the Acid Attack Survivors of West Bengal.
As a performing artist and social reformer, Smt. Alokananda Roy has received many prestigious awards, including the highest State Award, ‘Bongo Bibhushan’ in 2014, an Honorary D.Litt. degree from Diamond Harbor Women’s University, the West Bengal ‘State Academy Award’, the ‘Bharat Nirman’ Award, the ‘Devi Award’, the ‘SHE Award’, and the ‘True Legend’ Recognition by The Telegraph.
She has been honoured by the Indian Postal Service, who in 2019 released a Collector’s Edition ‘Alokananda Roy Personal Postage Stamp’ and a Special Cover in honour of ‘Love Therapy’, her Correctional Home project.
She is an Honorary citizen of New York City and Clarksville, U.S.A.
Munnie di (Alokananda) and I share a common MHS background and the days we spent in CLT (Children’s Little Society)
We spoke a little about how CLT, back the in the 60’s, shaped our lives and how we learnt to be who we are today
I remember Munnie di as the ‘para’ (neighbourhood) ‘bowdi’ (sister-in -law) who would light up the Ballygunge Cultural Puja committee more than the illumination in the pandal itself !!
We also talked about the countless times that she played the role of Shyama over the years and how each time she made the audience cried!
She has been actively involved in using cultural practices inside Correction Homes with both male and female inmates.
How did this happen? She said she had not planned it, just like she hadn’t planned anything else in her life – just ‘happened’ and grew and she became this miracle worker ! She has shown the world that the process around how love, care, music, and dance come together in a tapestry of incidents, anecdotes and feelings can actually create miracles.
Over the last two decades of her work inside Kolkata’s Presidency Correctional Home and Alipore Women’s Correctional Home, many inmates have been released, and nearly none has ever gone back to crime, which is unparalleled in any such work across the world. She had countless incidents to chat about .. the wit of the inmates, their response to her trust in them, how she has seen the darker side of human life which left her shocked and in despair .. I asked her how this body of work that she is doing and has done can be sustained .. she didn’t really have an answer to that but he true optimist that she is, she said she never gives up Hope.
IN THESE DARK AND ALMOST HOPELESS TIMES WE NEEDED TO MEET A BEACON OF HOPE AND LIGHT AND ALAKANADA IS JUST THAT – A SOURCE OF ILLUMINATION, COMING OUT OF HER EMPATHY, HER NON-JUDGEMENTAL ATTITUDE AND HER CAPACITY FOR LOVE.