Board of Directors
K Dakshinamurti
Board Chair
Dr Krishnamurti Dakshinamurti, O.M. is Emeritus Professor in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba and was the Senior Advisor to the St. Boniface Hospital Research Centre, Winnipeg. He is the President of the Mahatma Gandhi Centre of Canada and established the Dakshinamurti Academy of Hindu Studies in the Hindu Temple, Winnipeg. He has been associated with Manohar Performing Arts of Canada since its inception.
Sudhir Kumar
Treasurer
Sudhir Kumar has been a professional accountant for the past twenty years. In addition, he is an active volunteer, helping several organizations in Winnipeg. He has served in the Hindu Society of Manitoba as Chairperson of the Temple, and as Chairperson of the Hindu Society Trust. Presently he is Vice-President and Treasurer of the Mahatma Gandhi Centre of Canada, as well as Treasurer of Manohar Performing Arts of Canada.
Ganga Dakshinamurti
Company Coordinator
Dr Ganga Dakshinamurti holds degrees in Sanskrit, Library Science, Adult Education, and Human Resources Management, was Instructional Services Librarian in the Management Library at Asper School of Business at the University of Manitoba, and since 2015 has the title of Senior Scholar. Awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 for her community service, she has been Company Coordinator of Manohar since its inception in 1991 and its independent incorporation in 1993.
Usha Sharma
Artistic Director
A consummate choreographer of august lineage, Usha Sharma is also a poet, musician, jewelry designer, dance historian, small business owner and renaissance woman. She can be found absorbing, imagining, creating and setting choreography at all hours, earning the devotion of Manohar dancers. Usha Sharma established Jhankaar School of Dance in 1995, a modern-day gurukul where she teaches Kathak and tabla; and has been Artistic Director of Manohar since 1996.
Shyamala Dakshinamurti
Operational Director
Shyamala Dakshinamurti is a founding member of Manohar Performing Arts. She has trained in Bharatanatyam (under Menaka Thakkar, Kalanidhi Narayan), Kathak (under Usha Sharma) and several other dance styles. Within Manohar she is a dancer, choreographer, writer and dramaturge. Shyamala is also a neonatologist and professor of Pediatrics and Physiology at the University of Manitoba, and serves professionally on a number of scientific and artistic boards.
Sowmya Dakshinamuti
Operational Director
A founding member of Manohar Performing Arts of Canada since 1991, Sowmya Dakshinamurti has danced in almost all of its productions. She studied Bharatanatyam under Menaka Thakkar; and now also trains in Kathak under Usha Sharma. Her interests include martial arts and contemporary dance. With Manohar, Sowmya is a choreographer, performer, dramaturge and dance/music archivist. She is an anesthesiologist in clinical practice in Winnipeg.
Sunita Bhatia
Director at Large
Sunita Bhatia trained in Kathak under Usha Sharma and Guru Kalicharran Sharma; in Bharatanatyam with Menaka Thakkar and Kalanidhi Narayan; and is one of the founding members of Manohar. She currently trains in Kathak under Saveeta Sharma (Upasana the Spirit of Dance) in Ottawa, where she has been further introduced to other dance forms including Odissi, flamenco and contemporary. Sunita recently opened her own Bharatanatyam dance school, AnishKa, in Ottawa. Sunita is in practice as a dentist in Ottawa.
Nandita Biswas Mellamphy
Director at Large
A founding member of Manohar Performing Arts of Canada since its inception in 1991, Nandita Biswas Mellamphy is trained principally in Bharatanatyam (under Menaka Thakkar and later Srividya Natarajan) and Flamenco (under Cinta Sebastia Hernandez, Paloma Gomes, Siudy Garrido and Adrian Galia). She is a political scientist and professor/undergraduate program chair in the department of Political Science, and an affiliate of the department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies at Western University.
Sharmila Biswas-Mistry
Director at Large
Sharmila Biswas-Mistry joined Manohar in 1993 upon completing her Bharatanatyam arangetram under Menaka Thakkar. She has a background in journalism and communications. Before working for the federal public service, she was working as a communications advisor for various national not-for-profit organizations in the nation's capital. Sharmila continues to practice Bharatanatyam and recently started training in Odissi under Sonia St. Michel.