Imphal: The Department of Art and Culture, Government of Manipur urged BYJU’s, a Bengaluru-based multinational educational technology company, to remove a post on its website on Manipuri Dance.
The post refers to a question: Who is the father of Manipuri Dance? And the answer is given as: Guru Bipin Singh (28 August 1918 – 9 January 2000) was a director, choreographer and teacher of Manipuri dance. He was born on 20 August 1918 into a Bishnupriya Manipuri family. He is regarded as the Father of Manipuri Dance.
In a letter addressed to Byju Raveendran, the founder of the learning App BYJU’s, on 23rd May, but released on Friday only, K Dinamani, Director of the department, stated, “In connection with the above question and answer this office has received many complaints from many individuals as well as cultural organisations in the state as both the question and answers are wrong”.
No guru or performer in the field of Manipur dance has been declared or regarded as the Father of Manipuri Dance by the State Government or by any higher authority or by a competent body of the practitioners of this field, which is accepted by all, as yet, the letter continued.
Reiterating that Guru Bipin Singh is not the father of Manipuri Dance, the letter sought the removal of “the above post from your official website immediately in order to avoid giving wrong information of Manipuri Dance towards the general public, readers as well as to the upcoming students around the globe”.
Dinamani also wanted information on the sources of the said question-answer so that his department would write to them directly for rectification.
Further, the letter also asked BYJU’s to take prior confirmation from this department for the matters related to the culture of Manipur so that “unwanted incidents may be avoided in future in the interest of the general public as well as the reputation of your institute”.
