Nature, the great Teacher, a dance musical on the story of Lord Dattatreya, was conceived and produced by Narmatha Ravichandra to mark the completion of 25 years in Australia as a musician (vocalist and violinist), dancer and choreographer (Bharatanatyam). She is successfully running the Sruthi Laya Kendra and the Bharatha Choodamani arts schools in Australia which can boast of hundreds of students.

The production was based on the key learnings derived from the 24 aspects of nature—acknowledged as his gurus—by Dattatreya in the Bhagavad Gita. In his final teaching to his friend Uddhava, Lord Krishna narrates the story of Dattatreya. As the story goes, while Dattatreya was wandering happily in the forest, he met King Yadu who asked him the secret of his happiness and the name of his guru. Dattatreya told him that the atman alone was his guru, and yet, he had learned wisdom from 24 individuals, who he considered his gurus.

This story was presented with over 30 dancers and was complemented with interactive digital displays on the backdrop. Flautist and composer, B.V. Balasai, created an interesting amalgam of Indian music with Western instrumentalists and the entire production was choreographed to only instrumental music without lyrics. D.A. Srinivas devised the rhythmic patterns and konnakol.

The secular theme, the seamless choreography combined with lively music, won the hearts of the audience. Narmatha and Ravi Ravichandra, who took on the responsibilities of artistic director and production director respectively for Nature, the great Teacher, are known for their yeoman service in the promotion and enrichment of Indian classical arts in Melbourne, Australia.