Baisali Mohanty

🪔 About

Baisali Mohanty, born on August 5, 1994, in Puri, Odisha, India, is an accomplished Indian classical Odissi dancer, choreographer, author, and analyst of foreign and public policy. She is the daughter of feminist, poet, and author Manasi Pradhan and electrical engineer Radha Binod Mohanty. Mohanty received her early education at Blessed Sacrament High School Puri and KIIT International School, Bhubaneswar. She earned her bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Delhi, and a Master's Degree from the University of Oxford, where she specialized in Nuclear Diplomacy. Her extensive training in Odissi dance includes over a decade under the tutelage of the renowned Padma Shri Guru Gangadhar Pradhan until his passing, and advanced choreography training from Padma Shri Guru Ileana Citaristi. She also holds a Visharad Degree in Odissi dance with first-class distinction. Mohanty has over 20 years of performance experience, showcasing solo and group choreographies with her dance company, “Baisali Mohanty & Troupe,” at various international and national festivals for over fifteen years. She is recognized for her efforts to promote cultural understanding and utilize art as a tool for diplomacy and peace-building, often blending Indian classical dance with humanitarian themes. In 2015, Mohanty founded the Oxford Odissi Centre at the University of Oxford to popularize Indian classical dance. The centre offers regular Odissi dance classes for university members and conducts workshops at other prestigious institutions across the United Kingdom, including the University of Cambridge and the London School of Economics. She is also the founder of the Oxford Odissi Festival, an annual Indian classical dance festival held at the University of Oxford. Beyond her dance career, Baisali Mohanty is an international diplomat and United Nations official, having been appointed a UN Policy Officer in July 2020 and serving as a Special Envoy to Romania in 2022. She is also a regular contributor on foreign policy and strategic affairs to publications such as Forbes, The Huffington Post, The Diplomat, and openDemocracy, London. Awards & Honours: Felicitated by India's National Commission for Women (2013), Top prize at Delhi University dance contest (2013), Aarya Award (2017), High Profile Achievement Award (best graduate student).