Elangbam Nilakanta Singh

Elangbam Nilakanta Singh (1927–2000) was an Indian poet and critic, considered by many as one of the pioneers of modern Meitei literature. A recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1987, Nilakanta Singh was honored by the Government of India, in 2000, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri.

Biography Elangbam Nilakanta Singh was born at Keisamthong Elangbam Leikai in the capital of the Indian state of Manipur on 4 October 1927 to Lakhi Devi and Elangbam Bokul Singh, a primary school teacher, as the eldest of their eight children. He did early schooling at Churachandpur and continued at Johnstone Higher Secondary School, Imphal from where he passed the matriculation in 1945. His pre university studies were at Murarichand College, Sylhet, in the present day Bangladesh and later, graduated in arts (BA) from Gauhati University. He secured a post graduate degree of MA in Philosophy and LLB also from the same university. Some of his notable works are:

(poems) (poems) (poems) (poems) Aspects of Indian culture (critical study) (articles on culture and religion) (essays on Rabindranath Tagore) (poems) Manipuri dances (essays) Fragments of Manipuri Culture (essays) (poems)

(essays) Monograph on Bhadra Monograph on Pandit Atombapu Sharma (travelogue) (poems)

He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award for his book Tīrtha yātrā in 1987. In 2000, the Government of India honoured him with the civilian award of Padma Shri. Nilakanta Singh died on 11 February 2000, before the Padma Award investiture ceremony could take place.