Keeping alive India’s timeless cultural spirit

In the vast and intricate landscape of Indian classical arts, few names command the respect and admiration accorded to Dr Sandhya Purecha — eminent Bharatanatyam exponent, scholar, author, choreographer, teacher, and Chairperson of the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi. Elegant in thought as much as in movement, she embodies the rare convergence of artistic excellence, rigorous scholarship, and visionary cultural leadership.

At a time when India is redefining its place on the global stage through the lens of cultural confidence and civilizational identity, Dr Purecha’s work resonates deeply with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a “Viksit Bharat” — a developed India firmly rooted in its heritage while looking toward the future.

Speaking with calm clarity and quiet conviction, Dr Purecha reflects on a journey shaped as much by discipline and devotion as by inspiration and grace.

“The roots of my journey lie entirely in my childhood and in my father’s encouragement,” she says. “My father was an extremely liberal man with a deep love for the arts. In those days, that kind of support was rare. He always encouraged me and even wished that my mother would pursue the arts.”

That encouragement proved transformative. As a young girl in Mumbai, Sandhya was taken to folk dance classes conducted by the renowned maestro Ramesh Purav — an experience she recalls with enduring warmth.

“I can never forget those classes,” she smiles. “That was where my imagination opened up. Dance became a part of me very naturally.”

It was there that her natural talent began to blossom. Before long, she was performing lead roles, including a memorable double role in the celebrated dance drama “Durga Zaali Gauri.”

Yet destiny had an even greater turning point in store. Recognizing her extraordinary promise, Ramesh Purav introduced her to the legendary Acharya Parvati Kumar — a meeting that would define the course of her life.

When she speaks of her Guru, her words carry both reverence and gratitude.

“Guruji was not merely teaching dance,” she reflects. “He was shaping personalities, values, and ways of thinking. Through him, Bharatanatyam became much more than performance for me.”

She recalls how Acharya Parvati Kumar’s classes famously had no clocks.

“Learning was never limited by time,” she says. “There were no fixed hours. Dance was part of life itself. Spirituality, discipline, philosophy, aesthetics, even practical life lessons like cooking — everything was integrated.”

The most enduring lesson, she explains, was what her Guru called “tradition with vision.”

“He demanded perfection, but he also wanted understanding. Under him, dance became sadhana.”

Though there was a period when she pursued law studies and even prepared for the IAS entrance examination, dance remained her inevitable calling.

“One phase of my life moved toward academics and civil services,” she says thoughtfully, “but somewhere I knew dance would always remain central to my life.”

One of the defining milestones of her artistic career emerged through Acharya Parvati Kumar’s cherished dream of interpreting the entire Sanskrit treatise Abhinaya Darpanam through dance.

“For Guruji, this was a deeply cherished pursuit,” she recalls. “I immersed myself in it completely for nearly five years.”

The task was monumental. Each of the 324 verses was explored through its literal, indicative, and hidden meanings before being translated into movement vocabulary and performance.

“When the final presentation happened, it lasted almost three hours,” she says. “For me, it was the purest form of Guru Dakshina.”

That intellectual and artistic rigor would later become the hallmark of all her work. Her choreographies are deeply research-oriented yet emotionally resonant, blending textual scholarship with intuitive movement.

“I never see theory and practice as separate,” she explains. “They are two streams of the same river.”

Productions such as “Arthashringa” emerged through the imaginative integration of kalasa karanas and Ritusamhara, demonstrating how scholarship can enrich rather than constrain creativity.

“Research should never limit creativity,” she says. “It should deepen it.”

Rooted firmly in the Tanjore bani, her style remains distinguished by sculptural precision, layered detailing, and refined interpretative depth.

Her scholarly contributions have been equally influential. Among the several books authored by her, “Angikabhinaya” stands as a monumental contribution to Indian dance literature.

“I always felt there was a need to bridge textual knowledge with performance practice,” she says. “That became the inspiration behind Angikabhinaya.”

Spanning more than six hundred richly illustrated pages, the work examines the body as an instrument of expression in Indian dance traditions while drawing upon nearly forty Sanskrit texts.

“I wanted the work to remain scholarly but also accessible,” she explains. “Dance is embodied knowledge, so the visual dimension was extremely important.”

Teaching, however, remains closest to her heart.

“Teaching gives me immense satisfaction,” she says warmly. “Not every student will become a professional dancer, and that is perfectly fine. Dance education is also about building discipline, patience, sincerity, and perseverance.”

Continuing her Guru’s tradition, she resists reducing education to rigid timetables or transactional instruction.

“The essence of the Guru-Shishya Parampara must remain alive,” she says. “At the same time, we must evolve methods according to the realities of modern life.”

Her institutions — Kala Paricchaya and the Bharata College of Fine Arts and Culture — reflect this holistic vision of arts education.

“Institutions are not merely spaces for training performers,” she says. “They are spaces where values and cultural memory are transmitted.”

Over the years, Dr Purecha has received numerous prestigious honours, including the Kalidas Samman and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award. Yet she speaks with particular humility about her appointment as Chairperson of the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi.

“It came as a surprise,” she admits gently, “but also as a very great responsibility.”

That responsibility, she believes, extends far beyond administration.

“The task is not only to preserve heritage,” she says. “We must ensure that these traditions remain vibrant, relevant, and connected to younger generations.”

Her broader cultural blueprint for this mission is encapsulated in the idea of “Sadhana.”

“Sadhana is a holistic framework,” she explains. “It focuses on safeguarding living heritage, strengthening the Guru-Shishya Parampara, encouraging dialogue between Shastra and practice, and promoting heritage-led innovation.”

Under her leadership, initiatives such as “Kala Dharohar” and “Kalaa Samvaad” have fostered meaningful interactions between artists, scholars, students, and the public. “We are also creating training programs for traditions like Chhau and Kutiyattam,” she says. “Documentation and interdisciplinary collaborations are essential if we want rare artistic lineages to survive.”

At the same time, Dr Purecha has demonstrated an extraordinary ability to bring India’s cultural heritage onto grand national and international stages through large-scale multimedia productions.

Events at Bharat Mandapam, Yashobhoomi, the G20 Summit, Veer Bal Diwas, Ram Janmabhoomi, WAVES, and Utkarsh have all witnessed spectacular productions conceptualized under her leadership.

“The idea was always to showcase the grandeur and diversity of India’s cultural heritage,” she says. “These productions brought together folk artists, rare musical traditions, and multimedia storytelling on a very large scale.”

Works such as “Bharat Smriti Bodh,” “Bhagavan Dhanvantari,” “Shaurya,” and “Chakra” involved nearly 1,500 folk artists from across the country.

The Republic Day 2025 celebration featuring more than 5,000 folk and tribal artists remains one of the most ambitious cultural presentations in recent memory.

Equally significant was the 2026 Global Dance Overture, where the internationally acclaimed Russian ballet ensemble “Kostroma” performed alongside the stirring Indian production “Jayati Jaya Mama Bharatam.”

“Dance is ultimately a universal language,” Dr Purecha says. “It has the power to create harmony and shared understanding across cultures.”

As the conversation draws to a close, one thought becomes increasingly clear: for Dr Sandhya Purecha, culture is not ornamental to nation-building — it is central to it.

“A truly developed India cannot be defined only through economics or technology,” she says with quiet conviction. “Cultural confidence is equally important.”

India’s performing arts traditions, she believes, are among humanity’s greatest treasures.

“To preserve, nurture, and present them with integrity is not merely cultural work,” she says. “It is a national responsibility.”

And in that responsibility, Dr Sandhya Purecha continues to dance — not merely across the stage, but across the living cultural consciousness of a nation.