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Saroj Nalini Arambam Parratt

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Saroj Nalini Arambam Parratt
Born2 June 1933
Imphal, Manipur, India
Died2009
NationalityIndian
EducationUniversity of Calcutta, London University, Australian National University
Occupation(s)Theologian, Scholar, Translator
Known forFirst Manipuri woman to earn BD; translator of Cheitharol Kumbaba
SpouseJohn Parratt

Saroj Nalini Arambam Parratt (2 June 1933 – 2009) was a pioneering Manipuri scholar, theologian, and translator. She became the first Manipuri woman to earn a Bachelor of Divinity from the University of London in 1961.[1][2] She is best known for her definitive three-volume English translation of the royal chronicle of Manipur, The Court Chronicle of the Kings of Manipur: the Cheitharon Kumpapa, published by Routledge between 2005 and 2013.[3][4]

Early life and education

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Saroj Nalini Arambam was born in Imphal, Manipur, on 2 June 1933. She attended the University of Calcutta, where she became the first Meitei woman to earn both the BA and MA degrees in philosophy.[2][5]

Conversion to Christianity

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While studying in Kolkata, she formed close friendships with Christian Naga students and embraced Christianity.[1] She was baptised at the Lower Circular Road Baptist Church in Calcutta, and her Christian faith became a defining influence on her later decisions, including pursuing theological studies in London.[2]

Despite never working as a missionary, she maintained spiritual ties with Meitei Christian communities. A witness to Imphal churches in 1989, she reportedly wept upon seeing new converts—signalling her emotional connection to the community.[2]

Academic career

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Saroj Nalini Arambam earned a Bachelor of Divinity degree from the University of London in 1961 and married theologian John Parratt shortly after.[6] The couple subsequently moved to Nigeria, where she taught philosophy at the University of Ile-Ife.[6] Nalini later pursued a PhD under renowned Indologist Arthur Llewellyn Basham at the Australian National University, completing a thesis entitled, The Religion of Manipur (published in 1980).[7][8][9] She completed her doctorate work around 1980 and later returned to India, joining Manipur University as a Visiting Professor.[10]

Literary and scholarly contributions

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Her most significant contribution is her three-volume English translation of the Cheitharol Kumbaba, published by Routledge as The Court Chronicle of the Kings of Manipur between 2005 and 2012.[11]

She also co-authored along with John Parratt, The Pleasing of the Gods: Meitei Lai Haraoba, an authoritative study of Meitei ritual traditions, published in 1997.[12]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Madhu Chandra (12 June 2021). "Theological Scholars of Manipur Commemorate Saroj Nalini Arambam Parratt, First Theologian and First Woman BA/MA". Imphal Review of Arts and Politics. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d Parratt, John (2009). "Saroj Nalini Arambam Parratt (1933–2008)". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. 19 (3): 383–384. doi:10.1017/S1356186309009882. ISSN 1356-1863.
  3. ^ Arambam Parratt, Saroj Nalini (2013). The Court Chronicle of the Kings of Manipur: The Cheitharon Kumpapa (Volume 3: 1843-1892 CE). Foundation Books. doi:10.1017/9789382264989. ISBN 978-93-82264-98-9. Retrieved 18 June 2025. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  4. ^ "Colonial and post-colonial historiography of Manipur". Kangla Online. 9 October 2010. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  5. ^ "EMA and its members mourn the demise of Dr Saroj Nalini Arambam Parratt". European Manipuri Association. 28 January 2009. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Papers of Saroj Nalini Arambam and John Parratt". Royal Asiatic Society Archives. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  7. ^ Parratt, Saroj Nalini (1974). "The religion of Manipur : beliefs, rituals, and historical development". ANU Open Research Repository. hdl:1885/11206. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  8. ^ King, Ursula (June 1982). "Saroj Nalini Parratt, The Religion of Manipur. Beliefs, Rituals and Historical Development – recension". Religious Studies. 18 (2): 240–242. doi:10.1017/S0034412500013858. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  9. ^ Parratt, Saroj Nalini (1982). "Journal article: The Religion of Manipur review". PhilPapers. 18 (2): 240–242. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  10. ^ "Grafiati summary of BD and PhD". Grafiati. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  11. ^ "Papers of Saroj Nalini Arambam Parratt and John Parratt". Royal Asiatic Society Archives. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  12. ^ Allen, N. J. (1999). "South Asia - Saroj N. Arambam Parratt and John Parratt: The pleasing of the gods: Meitei Lai Haraoba. xvi, 200 pp. New Delhi: Vikas, 1997. Rs. 450". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. 62 (1): 160–161. doi:10.1017/S0041977X00017973. ISSN 0041-977X.
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