Renowned classical dancer, scholar, and cultural icon Dr. Sonal Mansingh was conferred the prestigious Srimanta Sankardeva Award 2023 in a glittering ceremony held at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati, on 12 June 2025. The award, one of Assam’s highest civilian honours instituted in 1986, was presented by the Hon’ble Governor of Assam, Lakshman Prasad Acharya, in the gracious presence of Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, State Cultural Affairs Minister Bimal Bora, Chief Secretary Dr. Ravi Kota, and Padma Bhushan awardee Jatin Goswami. The event was attended by over a thousand admirers and distinguished dignitaries, who gathered to pay tribute to a titan of India’s cultural landscape.
As the programme catalogue noted, Kamakhya Shaktipeeth in Guwahati has always held a special place in Dr. Mansingh’s heart. Today, she returned to the land of Maa Kamakhya to receive an award named after the greatest son of Assam, Srimanta Sankardeva—an honour that symbolically fused two major spiritual traditions of India: Shaktism and Vaishnavism.
The Governor, in his address, lauded Dr. Mansingh’s lifelong contributions to Indian classical dance, cultural revival, and social reform. He remarked that the award was not just a tribute to her as an individual, but a recognition of her tireless commitment to preserving and modernising India’s rich heritage. He also paid glowing tributes to Srimanta Sankardeva, describing the 15th-century saint as a visionary reformer whose message of unity, harmony, and inclusiveness transcended regional boundaries. Sankardeva, the Governor emphasized, was a true national figure whose legacy—including Borgeet, Ankiya Naat, and translations of the Bhagavata Purana—continuesto shape Assam’s cultural ethos through his advocacy of Ek Saran Naam Dharma, a devotional movement that broke caste hierarchies and promoted social equality through art and faith.
Dr. Sonal Mansingh, a doyenne of Bharatanatyam and Odissi, has for decades championed Indian traditions through performance, pedagogy, authorship, and policymaking. Her choreographic works—Devi Durga, Draupadi, Indradhanush, Manavata, Sabras, Aatmayan, Mera Bharat, Mukti, among others—are not merely performances but powerful commentaries on social justice, women’s empowerment, and ecological trauma. She was also the first performing artist to lead a cultural troupe to Kashmir in 1999, uplifting the morale of soldiers stationed on the border.
Born as Sonal Pakvasa on 30 April 1944 in Bombay to the respected Gujarati family of Arvind and Poornima Pakvasa, her tryst with dance began at the age of four with Manipuri, later transitioning to Bharatanatyam. Her debut performance took place in 1961 at Bangalore’s Raj Bhawan, during the tenure of her grandfather Mangaldas Pakvasa as the Governor of Mysore (before it became Karnataka). A meritorious student, she earned a degree in German from Elphinstone College and a Sanskrit degree from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. After marrying diplomat Lalit Mansingh, her deep association with Odisha drew her towards Odissi and Chhau. She also received training in both Hindustani and Carnatic vocal music.
In 1974, while on a performance tour in Germany, she met with a life-threatening accident that temporarily halted her career. However, her indomitable spirit and resolve saw her through a long, painful recovery. With characteristic determination, she returned to the stage and went on to found the Centre for Indian Classical Dances in New Delhi, mentoring thousands of students. For Dr. Mansingh, dance is a composite art that includes literature, music, painting, and sculpture—an ethos she passionately imparts to her disciples.
Her illustrious journey has been marked by several accolades. She was the youngest recipient of the Padma Bhushan in 1992 and was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2003. She received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1987 and later chaired the Akademi from 2003 to 2005. A trustee of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, she also served as a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha from 2018 to 2024. She holds honorary doctorates from G.B. Pant University (Uttarakhand), Sambalpur University and KIIT (Odisha), and Rabindra Bharati University (West Bengal).
Overwhelmed while receiving the Sankardeva Award, Dr. Mansingh expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Assam government, saying she was rendered speechless by the honour. She attributed her journey and recognition to the blessings of Aai Bhagawati and the unconditional love she has received from the people of Assam.
Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma noted the symbolic timing of the award ceremony, which coincided with the birth anniversary (Tithi) of Sri Sri Madhavdev, the chief disciple of Srimanta Sankardeva. He emphasised that the occasion served to dissolve long-standing perceived divisions between Vaishnavism and Shaktism, portraying Srimanta Sankardeva as a golden bridge between India’s glorious spiritual past and its culturally vibrant future.
Dr. Sonal Mansingh’s journey—resilient, inspirational, and steeped in India’s cultural conscience—continues to illuminate the path for generations to come.
