Sonal Mansingh’s presence is hard to miss. Not just as a dancer, scholar and teacher, but also as a leader, an activist and a citizen. She is ubiquitous in a number of ways and her transparent personality has always permeated her choreographies. Most of us find it difficult to master one art-form and hold it in place, and here is Mansingh who breezes through the lasya and bhava of Bharatanatyam and Odissi, among the other Indian classical dance and music forms. Years ago, eminent Bharatanatyam dancer Navtej Johar spoke of Mansingh, “She is an observer. She sees. She is in touch with reality, and the pulse of what she feels is rendered through her work.”
As often as the phrase “art for a social cause” is misused, the gap between real and the artistic representation of the real is rather deep. Perhaps, in a highly digitalised world, bhavas and gestures don’t speak as much. And moreover, one ponders if one is an artiste first and then a citizen or vice versa? Or do they both go hand in hand? But, as a country that “dances its philosophy”, as Mansingh would put it, we still have hope. The rasa exists in the mind of the audience, but it emanates from you, the dancer. The dancer leaves something that the audience takes home.
“It is important to connect to the society. You cannot keep away for long. The artiste has to be true to the art. I had the wisdom at a young age to figure how far to go or not go. It is not a sacrifice I made, but knowing what appeals to me and is right for me and sticking to it. I am not rigid, I think I am mature. I have a self-drawn Lakshman rekha which I do not cross. That has been my middle ground. I have carved out my space which I do not let anyone to impinge on, even if it is simply watching the clouds or sitting idle. I am not answerable to anyone,” a candid Mansingh observes.
As part of the annual choreographies presented by her institute, Centre for Indian Classical dancers, Mansingh along with nine of her dancers will present “Divyalok – Abode of Divinity”, a production dedicated to the ongoing Swachh Bharat Mission. As the title goes, “Divyalok...” will present three episodes from the Puranas — Devi begins her Creation, Asura and the Enchantress and Kaliya Mardan.
An eminent Sanskrit scholar, who was one of the first artistes to include texts in languages other than Telugu or Tamil in her dance, Mansingh constantly goes back to the Puranas for inspiration. “The root of the word ‘div’ in Sanskrit means light or ‘prakash’. How do we achieve that in our own mundane life? Art works with symbolism. We are trying to work with the symbolism of swachhta. Does it only mean cleanliness of the environment? To me, it is also the cleanliness of thoughts, speech, heart and, therefore the interaction with others. If we bring all of this together, we see some amount of beauty and light everywhere. That, to me, is the ‘alok’ or ‘prakash’,” says Mansingh.
Extremely relevant
“Drawing from the Puranas, 'Devi' is a concept. Different people conceive it differently. It may be something we see or not see in reality, but it is the ‘Shakti’ that rules the universe. When the darkness becomes overpowering, we take charge and clean it,” Mansingh says. The story will follow that of Bhasmasura's, who turned into ash all that he touched. The third episode is of Kaliya Mardana, one that is extremely relevant today and symbolic of the current ordeals of the river Yamuna. “Kaliya poisoned the river and Krishna had to save it. My question is, who is Krishna today? The polluted river is also symbolic of the polluted mind, speech and thought,” Mansingh adds.
The music, which was conceived by Mansingh herself, has been composed by Shubhendra Rao, Saskia Rao and Ariane Gray Hubert. (“Divyalok...” will be staged on November 7, Stein Auditorium, India Habitat Centre, 7 p.m.)
