Smt Sonal Mansingh is a renowned dancer of Odissi, a classical Indian dance form that originated in Orissa and the Member of Rajya Sabha. She began her professional dance career in the early 1960s. Smt Mansingh is trained in Hindustani and Carnatic classical vocal music and is proficient in the Sanskrit and German languages. In 1977 she founded the Centre for Indian Classical Dances in Delhi. Her choreography was often rooted in Indian mythology. For her work, she is also a fine orator and through her determined participation in seminars, discussions, workshops and lectures she is able to influence a lot of people of her community. Lately, her work has shifted towards issues concerning women, environment, prison reforms and re-interpretation of ancient myths.
Smt Mansingh is the recipient of many awards, including the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1987) and the Padma Bhushan (1992) and Padma Vibhushan (2003), two of India’s highest civilian honours.