Award-winning sarod musician and composer Soumik Datta and Los Angeles-based contemporary Bharatanatyam dancer Mythili Prakash will come together for Sahaj, a two-day festival of music and dance, scheduled to take place in Chennai on February 12 and 13, 2026.
The festival will open on February 12 with Mythili Prakash presenting AR | DHA, followed by Soumik Datta’s performance of Travellers on February 13.
Rooted in the yogic principle of integration, Sahaj reflects the blending of the spiritual and the worldly. Both artists explore this idea through works that respond in real time to contemporary social, political, and cultural realities. Sahaj is presented by Aalaap and Amethyst and supported by Soumik Datta Arts, Arts Council England, and BNP Paribas.
“For so long, dance remained a beautiful and uplifting sanctuary, far removed from the chaotic and largely upsetting world that we live in,” says Mythili, adding, “There was a division between the ‘worldly’ (politics and society) and the ‘artistic’ (spiritual, devotional, elevating). But for the last several years, that line has crumbled.”
Explaining the origins of the festival, Datta says, “‘Sahaj’ was Mythili’s brainchild—a bridge connecting our work to audiences in India.” He adds, “Born from the challenges of being NRI artists navigating multiple homes and identities in a constantly shifting world, our works AR | DHA and Travellers offer a glimpse into a new language of live art. Deeply collaborative, unexpected, drawn from personal experience and free from the constraints of outdated thinking, we are thrilled to finally bring this vision to Chennai.”
Choreographed and directed by Mythili Prakash, AR | DHA is a two-part work inspired by the iconic mythical dance competition between Shiva and Kali. Told from both perspectives, the piece explores love and power within a relationship that is simultaneously human and divine.
Travellers, on the other hand, unfolds as a genre-blending soundscape that highlights the immersive and transportive power of audio. Moving across geographies, conflicts, and emotional terrains, the work weaves the sarod through recordings of war, migration, and historical warnings, supported by tabla, violin, and percussion that create an ever-shifting sonic landscape. The piece mirrors both the chaos of the external world and the inner lives it evokes. Datta is joined on stage by Sayee Rakshith on violin, Debjit Patitundi on tabla, and Sumesh Narayanan on mridangam and percussion. The work was created in residence at and co-produced by G5A in Mumbai.
Beyond Chennai, Travellers will also be performed at Spoken Fest in Mumbai on February 22.
February will also see Datta present Mone Rekho in Ahmedabad at Natarani. Meaning “remember” in Bengali, Mone Rekho is an immersive audio-visual concert weaving Indian classical music with electronic sounds, visual collages, cinematic scenes, and moments of comedy. Initiated in collaboration with Alzheimer’s Society, the project is inspired by conversations with people living with dementia and explores memory, music, and the human mind.
Weaving memories of his late guru, the esteemed maestro Pandit Buddhadev Das Gupta, into the performance, Datta transitions between the roles of student, storyteller, and master musician, shifting seamlessly from concert hall to classroom, care homes, and the streets of Kolkata.
“For me, ‘Mone Rekho’ is more than just a show; it is a quiet plea against the fading of time,” Soumik reveals.
“I created it to capture a version of my late guru and his devotion to raga music that words alone cannot hold. It is my way of ensuring that as the years pass, the essence of his teachings, our bond, and the gift of music passed from teacher to student remain firmly anchored. This is what I poured into ‘Mone Rekho’ (which means Remember in Bengali). After performing it in Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Singapore, Mumbai, and London, I’m excited to bring it to audiences in Ahmedabad,” he adds.
Datta will also perform a sarod recital at the Sacred Festival in Amritsar on the morning of February 21, responding to the theme of ‘sacred in Indian classical music.’ These performances form part of his ongoing seven-month India tour, Melodies in Slow Motion, which sees him travel across the country to perform, collaborate with young musicians, record in unconventional spaces, and engage with schools and children.
February 2026 Performance Dates – Soumik Datta
- February 13: Sahaj Festival, Chennai
- February 21: Morning music at Sacred Amritsar Festival
- February 22: Spoken Fest, Mumbai
- February 27: Mone Rekho at Natarani, Ahmedabad
Together, Sahaj and Datta’s February performances position music and movement as living, responsive forms—inviting audiences to reflect, remember, and reconnect with the world through sound, rhythm, and story.
