Event Details

Forty years ago, on 9th June 1982, Surnai Theatre and Folk Arts Foundation took Mumbai by storm with its Musical Sandstorm, a folk extravaganza, which announced the birth of a new theatre group in Mumbai, Surnai, and “a soulful voice of the performing arts”. Forty folk artists from Rajasthan created magic on the NCPA stage, joined by Ila Arun and her dancers.

Four decades later we celebrate our journey with a repeat performance of A Musical Sandstorm, a grand finale of our year-long celebrations.  Once again, an ensemble of folk artists will join Ila, celebrating her journey in the folk tradition and the fortieth anniversary of Surnai.

World renowned folk artists from Rajasthan– the Langas, the Manganiyars and the Kalbelias will take over the stage at the NCPA. Dancers from Mumbai will perform to the tune of Ila’s most popular numbers, choreographed by Avni Shah. It will be a musical extravaganza, a spectacle of colour, light and the sounds of the desert, a performance never seen before in Mumbai.