Draft:Mallika Kandali

Mallika Kandali is a Sattriya dancer, author, and academician from Assam, India. Kandali is the first woman doctoral researcher in the Sattriya dance tradition.

Early life and education
Kandali's first performance of Sattriya was held at the age of 8 in the Diphu club, Karbi Anglong. Her second performance was in Moina Parijat (All Assam children's meet) at Nagaon, Assam in 1974. After that she performed elsewhere in Assam, and in other Indian states.

Kandali obtained her Ph.D. Degree from Gauhati University on "The Sattriya and the Odissi Dances: A Comparative Study" in 2005.

Career
Kandali studied under the tutelage of Guru Harendra nath Sarma of Diphu Kala Kendra, Karbi Anglong. Later she continued her higher training in Sattriya from a number of noted exponents such as Neelapadma Paul, Guru Tileswar Tamuli, Guru Ghanakanta Bora Barbayan and Guru Naren Ch. Baruah. Kandali prepared the nomenclature of many foot positions and few hand gestures of Sattriya. She also added eight gestures of each nayika of Ashta-nayikas (Natya Sastra) in Sattriya. She added six gestures of each season of six seasons in Sattriya. Also she has been doing scripts and verses in Brajawali for dance compositions. Kandali is also an empanelled artist of ICCR, Festival of India, Dept. of Culture, Govt. of India and graded artist of Doordarshan. Currently, Kandali is an Associate Professor and Head of the Dept.of Political Science in RG Baruah College, Guwahati, Assam. Kandali is also a Visiting Professor of Centre for studies in Performing Arts, Dibrugarh University and Srimanta Sankaradeva University, Assam. She is the convener of syllabus committee of Sattriya dance at Gauhati University, prepared the syllabus on Sattriya dance for Cotton University and Rangiya college (Vocational course of Sattriya Dance).

Books
She has published four books, two in Assamese and two in English, on Sattriya dance and culture. She also jointly authored three text books for Class VIII - X on Indian Classical Dance. She has also published several articles and papers in both Assamese and English.
 * Mati-Akhara: The Grammar of Sattriya Dance
 * Nrityakala Prasanga Aru Satriya Nritya (Assamese) (2007)
 * Sattriya Sanskritir Surabhi (Assamese) (2008)
 * Sattriya: The Living Dance Tradition of Assam (2014)

Awards

 * Srimanta Sankardeva Research Award, 2006
 * Devdasi National Award, 2014
 * Chinta O Chetana National Award, 2015