Sonal Mansingh

{{Infobox musical artist

| honorific_prefix = The Honourable

| name = Sonal Mansingh

| image = Sonal Mansingh.jpg

| caption = Sonal Mansingh performing in New Delhi.

| birth_name = Sonal Pakvasa

| alias =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1944|4|30|df=y}}

| birth_place = Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India

| origin = India

| instruments =

| genre = Odissi, Bharatanatyam

| occupations = *Indian Classical Dancer

| years_active = 1961–present

| label =

| associated_acts =

| website = [http://www.sonalmansingh.in www.sonalmansingh.in]

| current_members =

| past_members =

}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = Sonal Mansingh

|office = Member Of Parliament
Rajya Sabha

|constituency = Nominated (Arts)

|term_start = 14 July 2018

|term_end = 23 July 2024

|predecessor = K. Parasaran

|party = Bharatiya Janata Party

| father = Arvind Pakvasa

| mother = Poornima Pakvasa

}}

Sonal Mansingh (born 30 April 1944) is an Indian classical dancer and Guru in Bharatanatyam and Odissi dancing style. She has been nominated by the President of India to become a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha.{{cite web | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/sonal-mansingh-ram-shakal-among-four-nominated-to-rs/articleshow/64985955.cms | title=Sonal Mansingh, Ram Shakal among four nominated to RS | newspaper=The Times of India | date=14 July 2018 | access-date=14 July 2018}}{{cite web | url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2018/jul/14/former-mp-ram-shakal-rss-leader-rakesh-sinha-among-four-nominated-to-rajya-sabha-1843254.html | title=Former MP Ram Shakal, RSS leader Rakesh Sinha among four nominated to Rajya Sabha | newspaper=New Indian Express | date=14 July 2018 | access-date=14 July 2018}}{{cite web | url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/president-nominates-rss-ideologue-rakesh-sinha-among-three-others-to-rajya-sabha/articleshow/64985950.cms | title=President nominates RSS ideologue Rakesh Sinha among three others to Rajya Sabha | newspaper=The Economic Times | date=14 July 2018 | access-date=14 July 2018}} She is the recipient of Padma Bhushan in 1992 and Padma Vibhushan in 2003.

Early life and background

Sonal Mansingh was born in Mumbai, second of three children to Arvind and Poornima Pakvasa, a noted social worker from Gujarat and Padma Bhushan winner in 2004.{{Cite web|date=2016-04-27|title=Freedom fighter, 'Didi of Dangs', dies at 103 in Surat|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/freedom-fighter-didi-of-dangs-dies-at-103-in-surat-2771986/|access-date=2021-02-18|website=The Indian Express|language=en}} Her grandfather was Mangal Das Pakvasa, a freedom fighter, and one of the first five Governors of India.[https://www.ualberta.ca/~spicm/sonal_mansingh_biography.htm Sonal Mansingh] University of Alberta website, www.ualberta.ca.

She started learning Manipuri dance at age four, along with her elder sister, from a teacher in Nagpur, then at age seven she started learning Bharatnatyam from various gurus belonging to the Pandanallur school,National centre for the performing Arts. Quarterly journal. v.12-13, page 3 including Kumar Jayakar in Bombay[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/273843.cms Sonal Mansingh: The dance of life] The Times of India, 9 November 2003.

She has "Praveen" and "Kovid" degrees in Sanskrit from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and B.A. (Hons) degree in German Literature from Elphinstone College, Bombay.{{Cite news|last=Khokar|first=Ashish Mohan|date=2018-05-17|title=Sonal: The 22-carat dancer|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/dance/sonal-the-22-carat-dancer/article23914118.ece|access-date=2021-02-18|issn=0971-751X}}

Though, her real training in dance started when at age 18, despite her family's opposition, she went to Bangalore, to learn Bharatanatyam from Prof. U. S. Krishna Rao and Chandrabhaga Devi[http://nrcw.nic.in/shared/sublinkimages/191.htm Sonal Mansingh] nrcw.nic.in. at age 18, abhinaya from Mylapore Gowri Ammal, and later started learning Odissi from Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra in 1965.

Mansingh was married to former Indian diplomat Lalit Mansingh. The couple decided to divorce later.{{cite news|title=The art of diplomacy|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/Storyold/129791/|access-date=29 May 2012|newspaper=The Indian Express|date=31 Oct 1999}} Her father-in-law Mayadhar Mansingh introduced her to Kelucharan Mohapatra where she had her training in Odissi.{{cite web|title=Sonal Mansingh|url=http://www.iloveindia.com/indian-heroes/sonal-mansingh.html|publisher=iloveindia.com|access-date=29 May 2012}}

Career

Sonal Mansingh dancing career which started in 1962, after her arangetram in Mumbai, and in 1977, she founded, Centre for Indian Classical Dances (CICD) in New Delhi.[http://www.mansinghsonal.com/biography.html Biography] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090728165649/http://www.mansinghsonal.com/biography.html |date=2009-07-28 }} Official website.[http://mansinghsonal.wordpress.com/ Sonal Mansingh] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718102128/http://mansinghsonal.wordpress.com/ |date=2011-07-18 }}

Over the years, dance has taken her all over the world[http://www.narthaki.com/info/intervw/intrvw52.html Interview] and brought her many awards, including the Padma Bhushan (1992),{{cite web | url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf | title=Padma Awards | publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India | date=2015 | access-date=21 July 2015 | archive-date=15 October 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015193758/http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf | url-status=dead }} Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1987, [http://www.sangeetnatak.com/programmes_recognition&honours_dance_odissi.html Awards Odissi] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180816093636/http://www.sangeetnatak.com/programmes_recognition%26honours_dance_odissi.html |date=16 August 2018 }} Sangeet Natak Akademi official website. and the Padma Vibhushan, India's the second highest civilian award, in 2003; making her the second woman dancer in India to receive such an honour after Balasaraswati.[http://www.webindia123.com/personal/dancer/sonal.htm Sonal] This was followed by Kalidas Samman of Madhya Pradesh government, in 2006 and on 21 April 2007, she was conferred with Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) by G.B. Pant University, Uttarakhand at Pantnagar and Doctor of Literature (Honoris Causa) by Sambalpur University."String of awards for Sonal Mansingh", The Hindu, 27 April 2007.

To mark the completion of her 40 years in dancing in 2002, noted Hindi film director, Prakash Jha made a documentary film on her, title Sonal, which also won the National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film for the year.{{Cite web |url=http://www.prakashjhaproductions.com/sonal.html |title=Sonal |access-date=10 September 2008 |archive-date=26 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626001547/http://www.prakashjhaproductions.com/sonal.html |url-status=dead }}

In 2018, she was honoured with Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship also known as Akademi Ratna, for her contribution in the field of performing arts.{{Cite web|title=Akademi Ratna for Rajya Sabha MP Sonal Mansingh|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2019/jul/17/akademi-ratna-for-rajya-sabha-mp-sonal-mansingh-2005115.html|access-date=2021-02-18|website=The New Indian Express}}

Choreographies

Indradhanush
Manavatta
Mera Bharat
Draupadi
Gita Govinda
Sabras
Chaturang{{Cite web |url=http://www.culturopedia.com/Personalities/indianpersonality-sonalmansingh.html |title=Famous Personalities of India |access-date=3 May 2008 |archive-date=19 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200219035809/https://www.culturopedia.com/Personalities/indianpersonality-sonalmansingh.html |url-status=dead }}
Panchkanya
Devi Durga
Aatmayan[http://www.4to40.com/legends/index.asp?id=953 Legends of India] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080416005749/http://www.4to40.com/legends/index.asp?id=953 |date=2008-04-16 }}
Samanavaya

Awards

Youngest recipient of Padma Bhushan in 1992 .{{cite web |title=Padma Bhushan Awards 1992 |url=https://www.padmaawards.gov.in/content/notifications/PadmaAwards/1992.pdf |website=Padmaawards.gov.in}}
Youngest recipient of Padma Vibhushan in 2003.{{cite web |title=Kalam presents Padma awards |url=https://www.rediff.com/news/2003/apr/03padma.htm |website=rediff.com}}
In November 2019, Sonal Mansingh felicitated with Lifetime Achievement Award.{{cite news |title=Lifetime achievement award for Sonal Mansingh - Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/spotlight/lifetime-achievement-award-for-sonal-mansingh/articleshow/72145639.cms |website=The Times of India |date=20 November 2019 |language=en}}{{cite web |last1=India |first1=The Hans |title=Lifetime achievement award for Sonal Mansingh |url=https://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Andhra-Pradesh/2016-09-14/Lifetime-achievement-award-for-Sonal-Mansingh/253849 |website=thehansindia.com |language=en |date=15 September 2016}}

Quotes

"A dancer is not just a dancer. He/She is part of this environment. He/She does not exist in a vacuum. Society and its happenings have an impact on all individuals, especially artists. If an art form does not reflect the existing milieu, it stagnates."[http://www.artindia.net/sonal.html Sonal Mansingh] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509080406/http://artindia.net/sonal.html |date=2008-05-09 }} www.artindia.net.
"Radha is a grand image too but she's a personification of love without which there is no creation. In our male-dominated mythology the image of Krishna at the feet of Radha, begging for her love, is most unusual. Gita Govind invokes deep spiritual thoughts, packaged in beautifully written verses".[https://archive.today/20130125130500/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Redir.aspx?ID=ac0f708f-339e-4eda-be3e-42d2bb2826e0 Art and Culture] Hindustan Times, 18 March 2008.

Bibliography

The Penguin Book of Indian Dance by Sonal Mansingh, Penguin Books Australia. {{ISBN|0-14-013921-4}}.
Classical Dances by Sonal Mansingh, Avinash Pasricha, Varsha Das. 2007, Wisdom Publications. {{ISBN|81-8328-067-6}}.
Draupadi, by Sonal Mansingh; Museum Society of Bombay, 1994.