Ningthoukhongjam Khelchandra Singh was an Indian writer,

lexicographer Lexicography is the study of lexicons, and is divided into two separate academic disciplines. It is the art of compiling dictionaries. * Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionaries. * Theoretica ...

and historian, known as the author of ''Manipuri to Manipuri and English'', the first modern general dictionary in

Meitei language Meitei (), also known as Manipuri (, ), is a Tibeto-Burman language of north-eastern India. It is spoken by around 1.8 million people, predominantly in the state of Manipur, but also by smaller communities in the rest of the country and in p ...

, which was published in 1964. He was a fellow of the

Sahitya Akademi The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of, the Indian government. Its of ...

and

Sangeet Natak Akademi Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in English) is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India. History It was set up by the Indian education ministry on 31 May 1952 and ...

. The

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

in 1987.

Biography

Khelchandra Singh was born on 1 September 1920 at Uripok Ningthoukhongjam Leikai, a small hamlet in

Imphal Imphal ( Meitei pronunciation: /im.pʰal/; English pronunciation: ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (also known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the f ...

, the capital of the northeast Indian state of

Manipur Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of ...

. He did his studies in the traditional way under many teachers such as Dinachandra Singh, Pandit Parasuram, Pandit Madhop, Pandit Chandra and Pandit Deva Singh. His career started at Manipur Secretariat and spent the whole of his career with the

Government of Manipur The Government of Manipur ( mni, Manipur Leingak; /mə.ni.pur lə́i.ŋak/), also known as the State Government of Manipur, or locally as State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Manipur and its 16 districts. ...

to retire as an under secretary. After superannuation from service, he worked as a visiting faculty at the Jawaharlal Nehru University Centre, Imphal for a brief period. He was associated with several Meitei cultural and historical associations. He served as the president of Manipur Historical Society and Manipur Sahitya Parishad and was the vice president of Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy, Imphal. He was the president of Manipuri Martial Arts Association and Atombapu Research Centre, Manipur and sat on the expert committees of Manipur State Kala Akademi, Department of Arts and Culture and

Manipur University Manipur University ( mni, Manipur Taibang Maheikol) is a central university located in Imphal, Manipur, India. It was established on 5 June 1980, under the ''Manipur University Act, 1980'' (Manipur Act 8 of 1980), as a teaching cum-affiliating ...

. He represented Manipur at several sessions of Indian Historical Records Commission, Purba Bharat Sankritic Sammelan, Kolkata,

Indian History Congress Indian History Congress is the largest professional and academic body of Indian historians with over 35,000 members. It was established in 1935. The name of any new applicant for membership needs to be proposed and seconded by existing Ordinary or L ...

, Bombay and Indo-Myanmar Trade and Economic Co-operation Seminar, Mandalay. Khelchandra Singh died on 31 January 2011, aged 90, at

, succumbing to age related illnesses. He was survived by his five sons and five daughters, his wife preceding him in death.

Books

Khelchandra Singh wrote in Meitei and English and is known to have published over 30 books. ''Manipuri to Manipuri and English Dictionary'', published in 1964, is reported to be the first modern general dictionary in Meitei language. Another book of linguistics he wrote is ''Manipuri Language-Status and Importance'', which was published in 1975. He transliterated ''Uttarakhand Ramayana'' and ''Ashamedha Parba Mahabharat'' from Old Meitei to modern Meitei. As a historian, he edited eight books, Genealogy of Manipuri Kings, '' Cheitharol Kumbaba'', royal chronicles of Manipur, an anthology of Old Meitei poems, an anthology of Old Meitei prose, a collection of hymns and prayers prevalent in Pre-Vaishnavite Manipur, An account of the hills of Manipur, A treatise on Manuscripts, and ''Sarit Sarat'', a book on the heroic accounts of Manipuri Martial Combats. One of his books, ''History of Old Manipuri Literature'' (''Ariba Maṇipurī Sahityagī Itihasa''), is a text book for post graduate and research studies. Among his books written in English are ''Battle of Khongjom'', (an account of the last battle between Manipur and the British forces) ''Documents of Anglo-Manipuri War 1891'' (three volumes), ''Thangal General'' (life history of the renowned Meitei warrior) and ''Kangla''. He also contributed two chapters of the book, ''Dictionary of National Biography'', the biographies of Pandit Raj Atombapu Sharma and Thangal General.

Awards and honours

Khelchandra Singh received a service excellence award, the ''

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

's Silver Medal'', in 1951, for his services during the

1951 Census of India The 1951 Census of India was the ninth in a series of censuses held in India every decade since 1872. It is also the first census after independence and Partition of India. 1951 census was also the first census to be conducted under 1948 Census ...

. Manipuri Sahitya Parishad awarded him the ''Gavesana Bhusan'' award for his research activities in 1971 and he was elected as a fellow of the Manipur State Kala Akademi in 1980. The

awarded him the civilian honour of

in 1987. Three years later,

chose him as their fellow in 1999 and the

followed suit with their fellowship in 2006. Manipur Historical Society have instituted an annual lecture, ''Pandit Ningthoukhongjam Khelchandra Singh Memorial Lecture'', in honour of Singh.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, N. Khelchandra Recipients of the Padma Shri in literature & education 1917 births 2011 deaths Meitei people People from Imphal Writers from Manipur Indian social sciences writers Indian lexicographers 20th-century Indian historians Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship 20th-century Indian linguists Scientists from Manipur

Biography

Books

Awards and honours

See also

References

External links