Sharodi Saikia

🪔 About

Sharodi Saikia, born on October 24, 1956, in Jorhat, Assam, is an acclaimed Indian classical dancer, teacher, choreographer, and musician, renowned for her mastery of Sattriya dance. She began her formal dance training at the age of five, initially learning Manipuri dance under Guru Rathin Singh, and later exploring Kathak dance in her early teens. At 16, she shifted her focus to Sattriya dance, moving to Guwahati to train under her primary guru, Raseswar Saikia Barbayan of the Kamalabari Sattra. Her guru encouraged her to popularize Sattriya, leading her to perform on stage even before fully mastering the form. Saikia further honed her skills under gurus such as Rameswar Khataniar Barbayan, Ghanakanta Borah Barbayan, and Jagannath Mahanta, specializing in the Kamalabari style. Saikia is credited with pioneering the development of a distinctive solo performance repertoire for Sattriya dance, transforming it from its traditional group-based monastic origins into a viable solo presentation for proscenium stages. Her innovations extend to choreography, costumes (adapting male monk attire for female performers), music (incorporating instruments like flute, violin, and sarod), and stage presentation, including a proposed margam sequence. In 2003, she founded Rangayan, an institute for dance, acting, and music in Guwahati, where she continues to train students and conduct research on Sattriya's history. Beyond dance, Saikia is also a talented sitar player, having studied under H. B. Dutta, Lipika Banerjee, and Nand Banerjee, and Hindustani vocal music with Nand Banerjee. Academically, she holds a postgraduate degree in zoology and a diploma in educational planning and administration, and has served as a college lecturer and deputy director in Assam's Directorate of Higher Education. She has authored several books and scholarly publications on the Sattriya tradition, education, women, and development issues. Awards & Honours: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2015), Bishnu Rabha Award (2022).