ABOUT MEENAKSHI MEDHI
Meenakshi Medhi is a leading contemporary artist of Sattriya dance, carrying forward the timeless vision of Mahapurush Srimanta Sankaradeva and Mahapurush Madhavadeva to audiences across India and the world. A performer, teacher, and cultural ambassador, she has wholeheartedly dedicated her life to unveiling the divinity of this 600-year-old dance tradition of Assam with grace, depth, and devotion.
Meenakshi’s artistry was shaped within the traditional framework of the Sattras, nurtured under the revered guidance of late Adhyapak Jibanjit Dutta and Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee Adhyapak Haricharan Bhuyan Borbayan. Their intensive training instilled in her the discipline, reverence, and precise kinesthetics essential to preserving this unique tradition.
Recognised nationally, she holds a Young Artists Scholarship from the Ministry of Culture, a Junior Fellowship from CCRT, and is empanelled as a promising artist with the Ministry of Culture for the Festival of India Abroad. She is also associated with SPICMACAY, having conducted workshops and performances in schools and colleges across the country, and is a B-High graded artist of Delhi Doordarshan Kendra.
For over a decade, Meenakshi has graced major Indian classical dance festivals across the nation as a celebrated soloist, earning critical acclaim from connoisseurs for her expressive depth. Her contribution to Sattriya dance was further recognised when she received the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar (2024) from the Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi.
In 2013, she envisioned “Satkara”, an organisation which is relentlessly committed to spreading Sattriya dance and culture globally. She is currently residing in Noida, where she runs a dance school ‘Sattriya Nrityasala’ affiliated to Sangeet Sattra, Guwahati which grooms budding learners across the globe through its online and offline classes.
AWARDS RECEIVED:
• Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar (2024) by Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi.
• B-High graded artist of Delhi Doordarshan Kendra.
• Junior Fellowship (2021-22), Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India.
• Vrindrani Awards 2022, Rasikas Beloved artist achievement in the field of Sattriya dance by The Lashya dance (opc) Pvt Ltd in Chennai.
• National Young Scholarship (2010-11) by Ministry Of Culture, Govt. Of India, New Delhi.
EMPANELLED UNDER:
• Ministry of Culture, Festival of India Cell panel of artists/groups for participation in Festivals of India Abroad in the promising artist category.
• SPICMACAY since 2017.
APPRECIATION BY CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS:
• Guru Samman at Nritya Fest 2022 by Nrityalaya, a centre for classical dances, New Delhi.
• National Nritya Bhusan award by Utkal Yuva Sanskrutik Sangh, Cuttack, India.
• Kalai Kalanjiyam Award (‘Repository of Talent in the field of Fine Arts’) by Kalai Koodam Academy of Performing Arts Trust, Madurai .
HIGHLIGHTS:
• Dual master degree holder in Philosophy and Sociology from University of Mumbai and IGNOU.
• Graduation and higher secondary from Cotton College, Guwahati.
• High school from Nichols High School, Guwahati.
• Learning and practicing dance since the age of 5 years (Started learning Sattriya since 2004).
• She established SATKARA in 2013 and is now flourishing as SATKARA FOUNDATION in Delhi/NCR.
• Presently, she is teaching Sattriya dance in Noida.
