She began writing at age 17 with a short story titled Imaton. Her first book was Nunggairakta Chandramukhi, a collection of 16 short stories published in 1965, for which she received the Jamini Sundar Guha Gold Medal. Blurb
Maharaj Kumari Binodini Devi was born on 6 February 1922. She was an Indian novelist, short story writer, playwright, lyricist and a member of the royal family of Manipur. She had published several books under the name Binodini. She was best known for her 1976 novel Boro Saheb Ongbi Sanatombi. The novel follows the romance between the writer's rebellious aunt Sanatombi, a Meitei princess and the first political agent of Manipur after the British colonization of Manipur, Lt. Col. Henry P. Maxwell. The book won the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award in the year 1979.
In 2014, she was conferred with the Best Story Award at the 9th Manipur State Film Awards for the movie Nangna Kappa Pakchade. The award was given posthumously. Maharaj Kumari Binodini Devi was born to Sir Maharaj Churachand Singh, the king of Manipur and Maharani Dhanamanjuri and was known by the name Wangolsana or Sana Wangol in the royal palace. She was the first woman graduate of Manipur. Binodini married Dr. Laifungbam Nandalal Roy with whom she had two sons.
She began writing at age 17 with a short story titled Imaton. Her first book was Nunggairakta Chandramukhi, a collection of 16 short stories published in 1965, for which she received the Jamini Sundar Guha Gold Medal.
She wrote the play Ashangba Nongjabi (English: Crimson Rainclouds) and translated a play by Badal Sircar as Amasung Indrajit, which was later performed by artistes of the Manipur Dramatic Union (MDU), Imphal. She wrote lyrics for a song in the first Manipuri feature film Matamgi Manipur titled Lapna Lotna Leiyu.
She also wrote scripts for Manipuri films like Olangthagee Wangmadasoo, Imagi Ningthem, Ishanou, Thengmallabara Radha-Manbi and Nangna Kappa Pakchade, among others. She also scripted Orchids of Manipur, Sangai: The Dancing Deer of Manipur, Rajarshri Bhagyachandra of Manipur and Laa, which are essentially non-feature films. Her play Ashangba Nongjabi was later produced into a feature film. Her last novel Maharaj Churachandgi Imung was published in 2008.
Her short story Ngaihak Lambida was made into a non-feature film by Haobam Paban Kumar. Needless to say Maharaj Kumari Binodini Devi, also known as MK Binodini Devi has made an indelible contribution to the literary and cinematic landscape of Manipur.
In October 2001, she founded Leikol, a collective of women writers, bringing together women academicians, intellectuals and authors on a common platform where they can share various ideas and thoughts. Maharaj Kumari Binodini Devi, a trailblazing woman who was clearly ahead of her times breathed her last on 17 January 2011.