The legend of Amrut Manthan, the great churning of the cosmic ocean, is one of the most ancient and enduring narratives in Bharat’s sacred continuum. Its depictions adorn temple walls, sculpted friezes, frescoes, and miniature paintings, and its essence reverberates through the Puranas and sacred texts. Beyond its historical and spiritual grandeur lies a profound inner message: the constant struggle and striving in every human life to achieve that which is truly worthwhile. It symbolises the eternal churning within the human consciousness. The legend reminds us to observe this ceaseless battle within; i.e. the Devatva versus the Aasurik, motivates us to confront the negative elements lurking in the corners of our subconscious, and to emerge victorious through awareness, effort, and faith. In this production an exquisite confluence of Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Kathak, Mohiniattam and Chhau brings to life the legend through a tapestry of divine energies, lilting music, and resplendent dance. What unfolds before the audience, under the visionary direction of Dr. Sonal Mansingh, is not merely a dance drama but an aesthetic pilgrimage, from darkness to light, from turmoil to transcendence; a celebration of Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram – the timeless pillars upon which the civilisation of Bharat rests.
Director
Dr. Sonal Mansingh is an iconic cultural personality of India, internationally renowned as an artist, cultural educator, guru, scholar, author, motivational speaker, kathakar, polyglot, and social activist. She revived the ancient art form of Natya-Katha, blending her singing, narrative skills, and abhinaya to create stories from mythology, literature, and social themes. Her creative contributions have led to path-breaking choreographies like Devi Durga, Draupadi, Indradhanush, Manavata, Sabras, Aatmayan, Mera Bharat, and Mukti to name a few. Through her art she has addressed significant issues such as ecological imbalance, environmental protection, women’s empowerment, and social justice, particularly for marginalised communities. Dr. Mansingh has performed, lectured, and conducted workshops in over 90 countries. Her contributions and service to the nation have been at myriad levels – as a Rajya Sabha MP; as one of the Navaratnas for the Swachh Bharat Mission, a landmark PMO Initiative; as Chairperson of the Sangeet Natak Akademi, and as a trustee at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts currently serving her second term. She is a visiting professor at IIT Kharagpur and a member of the Society of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study in Shimla. As the Founder-President of the Centre for Indian Classical Dances (est. 1977), her institution remains one of the most respected cultural hubs for classical dance education in India. As a distinguished scholar she has been conferred with several Honorary Doctorates from prestigious universities of the country, like the G.B. Pant University, Uttarakhand, the Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, and others. She has authored two books, including Incredible India – Classical Dances of India, and her recent writings were compiled into a book titled A ZigZag Mind. Several films have been made on her inspirational journey like the filmmaker Prakash Jha directed national award-winning documentary Sonal (2002); her biography Devapriya in Hindi by Yatindra Mishra (2010); and Sonal Mansingh: A Life Like No Other by Sujata Prasad (2017). For her contributions to the cultural heritage of Bharat she has been felicitated with prestigious awards and honours like the Srimanta Sankardeva Award (2023) from Assam Govt., Sangeet Natak Akademi Ratna Award (SNA Fellow 2018), Padma Vibhushan (2003), Padma Bhushan (1992), Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award (1991), Kalidas Samman (2008), Kameshwari Award (2008), Nritya Choodamani (1985), Bhai Veer Singh International Award (1990) and many more.