Manasa –Art Without Frontiers presented Nectar from the Blue Lotus, A multilingual Odissi dance evening on Krishna Bhakti on Thursday, 19th February, 2026 at Stein Auditorium, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.
Nectar from the Blue Lotus is an evocative Odissi dance production that brings together Krishna bhakti poetry from across India—Sanskrit, Odia, Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali, and Braj Bhasha—into a single, immersive artistic experience. Conceived, directed, and choreographed by internationally renowned Odissi dancer Guru Sharon Lowen, the work bridges ancient devotional thought with a refined, aesthetic sensibility.
The production revealed bhakti as a shared emotional language—of longing, surrender, intimacy, and joy. Krishna emerges not only as Radha’s beloved, but as a symbol of universal love and the formless absolute, experienced through the living, breathing body of dance.
Rooted in temple sculpture traditions dating back to the 2nd century BCE, Odissi’s sculptural stillness, lyrical curves, and the iconic tribhangi allows poetry to inhabit the body. The result is a performance that speaks equally to classical arts connoisseurs, contemporary creatives, and first-time viewers, without requiring prior familiarity with mythology.
The evening unfolds through a curated sequence that includes:
A traditional Mangalacharan with Tamil Vaishnava poetry celebrating Bala Gopala
A Malayalam composition by Swati Tirunal, where Radha confides her longing to a sakhi
An Odia classic by Kavi Banamali Dasa, interwoven with a pure dance Pallavi
A bhakti poetry by Mirabai welcoming Krishna to her home
A Sanskrit ashtapadi from Jayadeva’s Geeta Govinda, intimate and sensuous in tone
A powerful Bengali poem by Chandidas, questioning devotion, desire, and social rupture
A concluding Mokshya and Nama Sankirtan, seeking grace and release.
The production featured dancers: Vishwanath Mangaraj, Nitisha Nanda, Pooja Kumar, Perrine Legoullon, Arunima Ghose, Ishani Bose, Devanshi Das, and Sharon Lowen herself, accompanied by: Pt. Prafulla Mangaraj-Mardala, Ashish Nayak and Dr. Vasudevan Iyengar –Vocal, Dhiraj Pandey–Flute & Soumendra Goswami– Sitar
Presenting Partner – Uday and Sunaina Jain, Dhoomimal Gallery & Ravi Jain Foundation
Principal Partner – Dr.Rennie Joyy, Aalekh Foundation
Friends of Manasa – Art Without Frontiers – Jyotsna Suri, Sanjay Yadav
Manasa–Art Without Frontiers is a trust inaugurated by Bharat Ratna Pt. Ravi Shankar. The
organization has long worked at the intersection of classical tradition, education, and contemporary inquiry, making India’s intangible cultural heritage accessible to diverse audiences.