Author and Sheriff of Kolkata, Mani Shankar Mukherjee, shares a close association with the Shankar family. He was a part of Amala Shankar’s 100 th birthday celebrations last year too. On her demise today, Mani Shankar remembered the many occasions when he has marveled at the family, especially Uday Shankar and Amala Shankar, and their hold over creativity.
“This Shankar family is wonderful. I have known them from close quarters. They have loved me a lot. There’s a Shankar in my name too and people used to wrongly believe that I am related to that family. They were Bhattacharjee and hailed from a famous village in Jessore. Whatever Uday, Amala and Ravi Shankar have done for India globally from the creative and cultural aspects, it is unparalleled even today,” Mani Shankar said.
The author was also in awe of the way Amala Shankar had balanced her dance and family. “Her son Ananda Shankar and daughter Mamata Shankar are also well-deserving of praise for continuing the legacy of their parents. Ananda was a bright potential and I knew him well. His early demise is sad. This Shankar family is full of amazing talents and Amala Shankar had nurtured them. It’s sad that she passed away today due to old age but a person of such calibre, with such endearing qualities and showing interest in every aspect of life, is rare. It’s not just dance that attracted her. She was equally keen on literature, culture and humanity. It’s an end of an era. She would often meet me at the Goenka’s and later call me and speak for long. She and her husband were true ambassadors of India on global platform,” Mani Shankar said.
