SPORTS: Jyotirmoyee Sikdar
Her Story: Born and brought up in Nadia district, the ‘golden girl of Bengal’ became familiar with sports at an early age by participating in sports competitions hosted at a local school where her father taught. Starting from there to competing at district levels and, finally, the India camp to train under the coaches was a long journey. She made the country and Bengal proud by bringing home a double gold medal in middle distance running at The Asian Games and the Asian Track and Field Championship. A recipient of the Padma Shri, the Arjuna Award and the Khel Ratna, Jyotirmoyee Sikdar is an inspiration to many girls with a dream to make it big in the world of sports.
She Said: I hope in the coming days also Bengali women will strive to move ahead and achieve. Thank you to The Telegraph. If I had a chance to meet my younger self, I would advise her to keep in mind three things — hard work, discipline and dedication. There is no replacement for these and no shortcut. If you follow these, you can reach success in any field.
THEATRE: Sohag Sen
Sohag Sen with her award that she received from Sudipta Chakraborty, Ritika Karnani and Tanusree Shankar
Her Story: Introduced to theatre by the legendary Utpal Dutt, she kept her ship sailing on this journey that she started “by accident” for over half a century. A pioneer in every aspect, starting from direction and acting to casting and teaching, her body of work as a theatre practitioner includes a wide variety of roles as an actor and later as a director for Ensemble, the theatre group she formed. She has worked with renowned names in the industry, including Aparna Sen, Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Rituparno Ghosh and Anjan Dutt. She is remembered for her brilliant casting in Mira Nair’s The Namesake. Her contribution to the field of theatre has been recognised with some of the highest honours in this field.
She Said: Initially, I was not interested in theatre. Later my interest grew in not only what happened on stage but beyond it also. It was a fulfilling intellectual exercise for me. I used to always feel a sense of warmth while doing theatre. Tripti Mitra used to direct during those days and then I started directing in my group Ensemble. Usha Ganguly and I were the two women directors around that time amongst other male directors. We used to face some difficulties but I never bothered about it much as theatre is such a fulfilling work for me. There is no money, so continuing it gets difficult. But theatre has been my life and I will keep it going as long as I can. I am very happy and honoured for being a recipient of this prestigious She Award and I am very grateful to The Telegraph. I am also very happy as this is an acknowledgement of my work, which I do with love, passion, dedication and total commitment and it is my lifeline. It is not very difficult to choose my most memorable performance. It had a unique run of 10 years and it was an English language theatre called Sonata, written by Mahesh Elkunchwar. It is very difficult for a foreign language theatre to traverse for such a long time in Bengal and travel outside. So that is unique and possibly that’s the best.
DANCE: Mamata Shankar
Mamata Shankar receives the award from Tota Roy Choudhury, Yashashwi Malani and Kiran Uttam Ghosh
Her Story: An accomplished dancer, choreographer and actress, she belongs to the illustrious dance family of the Shankars, daughter of Uday and Amala Shankar. Her association with dance began as a child, imitating her parents on stage while standing behind the wings. Under the guidance of her mother, she started her initial training at the Uday Shankar India Culture Centre in Kolkata, and later, following in the footsteps of her father, exhibited her prowess in choreography. Her vast body of work includes numerous dance pieces and dance dramas on a wide range of contemporary themes. Apart from dance, she has made a name for herself as an actor and has been directed by the likes of Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen. Her career of more than four decades won her recognition and admiration in both fields alike.
She Said: I started dancing before I started walking. I used to travel with my parents for their shows and always watched them dancing on stage. That’s how I started learning. Later, I also started an institution in 1986 and formed our dance troupe too. My husband and I used to run the institution and now we have been joined by my sons and daughters-in-law. It is one big family. Receiving this award is a great honour for me. I always say that I have two sons Ratul and Rajit. So if you ask me who I love more it is difficult for me to say. For me, dancing and acting are the same. I love them both.