Professional Odissi dancer and writer, Baisali Mohanty, hailing from Puri, Odisha, has been appointed as United Nations (UN) Policy Officer. She has joined her new post as the Policy Officer with effect from July 1.
Mohanty, who earned her Master’s Degree in International Studies from Oxford University in 2016, has also been part of the prestigious International Civil Service of United Nations. Since 2018, she has been serving as the OIM Officer in the UN Mission for the Rohingyas. At the Myanmar-Bangladesh border, the UN takes care of over a million Rohingya refugees.
Mohanty started working as a columnist for Huffington Post, before taking up a job at the World Food Programme (WFP). Prior to joining WFP, she had a brief stint at the United Nations International Children’s Fund.
Born in the holy city of Puri, Mohanty completed her graduation at the prestigious Lady Shriram College, Delhi. She then went on to obtain her Master’s Degree at Oxford University. She has been a regular writer on international strategy and security concerns in several prestigious international publications including American business magazine Forbes, The Diplomat, and Open Democracy, London.
Mohanty is also accredited to establish the Oxford Odissi Centre that is involved in the promotion and training of Odissi dance at Oxford University and other leading universities in England. “There is a great demand for Odissi among the youth here. They are aware of the dance form and have shown immense interest in learning it. So, when I proposed the centre to the university authorities, they readily agreed,” said Mohanty in an interview in 2016.
Baisali Mohanty was born on 5 August 1994, to renowned feminist, poet, and author Manasi Pradhan and Radha Binod Mohanty, an electrical engineer.