Padma Vibhushan awardee Sonal Mansingh appointed visiting faculty of IIT Kharagpur

KOLKATA: Eminent danseuse Sonal Mansingh has been appointed as a visiting faculty of Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, an official statement said on Monday.

Under the aegis of National Education Policy (NEP 2020) that brings together multiple disciplines in a curriculum to create a holistic learning experience, IIT Kharagpur has brought on board Padma Vibhushan awardee Sonal Mansingh as the distinguished visiting faculty, a statement issued by the institute said. Mansingh is a Rajya Sabha member and founder of the Centre for Classical Indian Dance, it said.

She will impart her training in dance forms and demonstration for the benefit of students, as well as faculty members "and the campus community" in association with the Centre of Excellence for Indian Knowledge System (CoEIKS) and Academy of Classical and Folk Arts (ACFA) for a period of three years at IIT Kharagpur, the statement said. Her inputs and guidance would help in developing and establishing a unique programme of pedagogy of the Indian classical dance. She has performed, given lectures and conducted workshops in 90 countries around the world, the statement said.

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She is the recipient of the Padma Bhushan (1992) and Padma Vibhushan (2003). She is also nominated as one of the NAVARATNAs for the Swachh Bharat Mission by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Expressing happiness over the IIT Kharagpur decision, Mansingh was quoted as saying, "dance is a part of the environment and dance forms should reflect issues of the society. The art forms have the power to bring even countries closer."