Purnima Ghosh

🪔 About

Purnima Ghosh, born on May 1, 1941, in Nabadwip, Nadia district, West Bengal, is a distinguished Indian classical dancer, choreographer, and teacher. Her father, Guru Brajabasi Singh, a renowned Manipuri dance master, was her first guru, and she began her dance training at the age of six. Ghosh received formal training in multiple classical dance forms. She studied Manipuri dance under her father and Guru T. Nadiya Singh at the dance academy in Jorasanko (now Rabindra Bharati University). Her Bharatanatyam training was under Guru Maruthappa Pillai, who was Kolkata's first Bharatanatyam teacher. She also pursued Kathak from a guru who resided with her family and learned Odissi from a distinguished dancer while studying dance direction in Delhi. Furthermore, Guru Sailajaranjan Majumdar significantly influenced her understanding and practice of Rabindra Nritya. Ghosh has been closely associated with Suraṅgamā, a prominent cultural institution in Kolkata, where she has taught and directed dance productions since 1962. Founded in 1957 by Tagore scholar Prabhas Niyogi, Suraṅgamā has been a central part of her career. Even in her octogenarian years, Ghosh continues to perform and teach, inspiring students of all ages. In March 2023, at 82, she performed as Radha in 'Bhanusingher Padabali', and in May 2024, she inaugurated a Rabindranritya workshop in Dhaka.