Yumnam Jatra Singh
A Manipuri Nata Sankirtana singer who performed for more than seven decades and taught at JNMDA, honoured posthumously with the Padma Shri in 2026.
Nata Sankirtana, the devotional singing and drumming of Manipur’s Vaishnavas, was Yumnam Jatra Singh’s life for more than seventy years. He was named posthumously for the Padma Shri in 2026 in the field of art, from Manipur [1].
Seventy years of singing
Jatra Singh was born on 12 September 1923 at Tendongyan Awang Leikai, Imphal West, and started learning music very young [2]. He began performing in 1949, the year he also sang at a festival in Bangladesh [2]. Later he earned diplomas in nat eshei in 1976 and nat cholom in 1980 from the Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy, where he also taught as a visiting guru [2].
He performed across Manipur, at kirtan festivals in Tripura and West Bengal, and in Delhi in 1960 [2]. He was the chief singer (eshei hanba) of the Shree Govindajee Naha Pala and an approved artist of All India Radio [2].
Recognition
His citation credits his work with helping Sankirtana win UNESCO recognition as intangible cultural heritage in 2013, and with the creation of a Sankirtan department at Manipur University of Culture [2]. He received the Manipur State Kala Akademi award in 2013 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Amrit Award in 2023 [2].
He died on 11 October 2025 [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2026: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2026 investiture ceremony brochure: citation for Yumnam Jatra Singh — Press Information Bureau, Government of India. Accessed 12 October 2026.
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