SONAL MANSINGH TALKS ABOUT RAJYA SABHA NOMINATION
...says Indian classical dance exponent Sonal Mansingh, who is now a Rajya Sabha member, after she was nominated for the house by the President
Dedicated to the world of Indian classical performing arts for close to six decades, it didn’t surprise or affect Sonal Mansingh when she came to know that she had been nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind. The veteran Bharatanatyam and Odissi exponent recalls, “The news came on the 14th of July. I don’t remember what my first reaction was, but it made me feel nice. I was certainly grateful to God, but I didn’t think if I deserved it or not, or if it should have come earlier.”
Having been inducted into Manipuri dance at the age of four, Mansingh took up Bharatanatyam when she was seven. Decades later, she is known the world over for her mastery of the Manipuri and Kuchipudi dance forms (besides Bharatanatyam and Odissi). Through her dance ballets, she has used her craft to address social issues, and has mentored younger generations in her school, started in the garage of her rented Delhi home, which came to be known as the Centre for Indian Classical Dances in 1977.
Always engaged in furthering one cause or the other, Mansingh is looking forward to this responsibility entrusted to her as the member of the Rajya Sabha. “As and when the session is on, I would like to attend and hear what others have to say. I am looking forward to the sessions,” says the Padma Vibhushan awardee.
She opines that Indian art and culture is “vast”, and to be able to work towards its development and care, as one of its representatives in the upper house of the Indian Parliament, will take time.
“It’s a very big thing, [and] doesn’t take place overnight. Several things are connected. And this is one such field where it’s never enough, [no matter] how much we do,” Mansingh says. “We will sit, discuss, interact with people, and prioritise what needs to be done,” adds the danseuse, known for her fusion of the Bharatanatyam and Manipuri dance forms, accentuated by her choreographic work, Dwi Varna, apart from her popular dance dramas Devi Durga, Sabras, and Aatmayan.
And what does Mansingh feel about the fact that nominations for Indian classical artists have been few and far between, vis-à-vis actors from the mainstream film industry, for instance, actors Jaya Bachchan, Rekha, Hema Malini, and Raj Babbar?
“What you are saying is right, and a lot of people have also noticed the same. There was Bharatanatyam dancer Rukmini Devi, who was also the first-ever woman in Indian history to be nominated as a Rajya Sabha member. And then there was (sitarist) Pandit Ravi Shankar who was nominated as a member of the Rajya Sabha. There have been many more film actors, but you have to understand that the nominations are from different fields, so can’t say who gets selected, and why. And I am not any party’s member,” she says.
But Mansingh disagrees with those who believe that the younger generation should also be allowed now to represent their field in the Rajya Sabha. “This is not for the young artists. To be able to speak coherently and represent the art, you need maturity. Young leaders who are into politics can get elected in the other house, but not in the Rajya Sabha,” she says.
As and when the session is on, I would like to attend and hear what others have to say. I am looking forward to the sessions... We will sit, discuss, interact with people, and prioritise what needs to be done. SONAL MANSINGH INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCER AND RAJYA SABHA MEMBER