Eminent danseuse and choreographer Amala Shankar passed away in Kolkata on Friday. She was 101 and died of age-related ailments.
Wife of classical dancer Uday Shankar, she was awarded the West Bengal government’s Banga Bibhusan award in 2011 for her contributions to art.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, expressing condolences, said that Amala Shankar had achieved international acclaim rising over boundaries of State and country through the form of dance.
A number of representatives of the State government, including Minister Indranil Sen, arrived at the residence of the artist in Kolkata’s Kasba area to offer their last respects.
Born Amala Nandy in 1919, she met Uday Shankar in Paris in 1931 when she was just 12 and married him in 1942. Her first performance was in Kaliya Daman staged in Belgium in 1931. She acted in the film Kalpana (1948) written, co-produced and directed by Uday Shankar.
The film revolves around a young dancer’s dream to set up a dance academy. A versatile woman, she took to painting. Amala Shankar remained active till her nineties. Her last performance was the dance drama Sita Swayamvar at the age of 92, where she played the role of King Janaka. Sreenanda Shankar, granddaughter of the artist, said the family celebrated her grandmother’s birthday last month. “This is the end of an era,” Ms. Shankar wrote on social media.
