Wife of legendary dancer-choreographer Uday Shankar, mother of late musician Ananda Shankar and danseuse-actress Mamata Shankar, mother-in-law of Tanusree Shankar and sister-in-law of sitarist Pt Ravi Shankar, Amala was born on June 27, 1919, in Jessore, Bangladesh. Her father owned a jewellery house and was globally known for his exquisite designs. He took her to Paris at the age of 11 for an exhibition of their jewellery. At the show, she had chanced upon a group of Indian men. One among them had come up to her and introduced himself as Uday Shankar. \u201cBeing an Indian, I was invited to their residence in Paris. That\u2019s where I first met his (Uday Shankar\u2019s) mother and Robu (Pt Ravi Shankar). I was a young girl and his mother was extremely fond of me. I remember days when I would go over to their house, have regular Bengali meals and play with Robu. Back then, I used to address him as Borda. He was after all 19 years elder to me,\u201d she had said in an earlier interview to TOI. <\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/imgsize-280891,msid-77157136\/77157136.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\nUday and Amala Shankar with son Ananda and daughter Mamata<\/span>
On that trip, Uday Shankar had asked her to emote a few dancing steps. Together, they toured Europe. At their first show in Belgium, she was so scared with the adulation that she literally ran to the greenroom when she heard the sound of encore. However, it was only after her graduation when Amala realised that dance was her calling. Without any professional training, she still excelled and would get invited to perform at conferences attended by greats like Pt Shambhu Maharaj and Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, among others.
However, her father had always wanted Amala to take up writing as a career. She had also shown promise at the age of 14 when she had written a book titled \u201cSaat Sagorer Paare\u201d describing her tour of Europe that had an introduction by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
Destiny, however, had other plans when Netaji watched her performance where Pt Jnan Prakash Ghosh was on the tabla and Dilip Roy on the vocals. Impressed with her performance, Netaji had requested her father to send her to join Uday Shankar\u2019s dance centre in Almora that had the likes of Simone Barbiere (referred to as Simkie), Zohra Sehgal, Guru Dutt and Ruma Guha Thakurta in attendance.
Uday Shankar choreographed many dance-dramas featuring Amala in prominent roles. These include \u201cLabour and Machinery\u201d and \u201cSamanya Kshati\u201d and shadow plays such as \u201cRam Leela\u201d and \u201cLord Buddha\u201d. But romance with her guru never happened overnight. Once when she had seen him perform as Karthik at a show in Kolkata\u2019s Madan Theatres, Amala had actually said in front of her parents that this is \u201cthe man\u201d in her life. But no fireworks had happened back then and Amala had to wait till 1939 for things to take a different turn. A new chapter began on the night of December 8, when she returned to her room after celebrating Uday Shankar\u2019s birthday in Chennai. Amala\u2019s eyes would twinkle every time she recalled how he had knocked on her door, come inside and told her that he had decided to get married. \u201cDon\u2019t you want to know the name of the girl?\u201d he had asked her. On seeing her nod in affirmation, he had said: \u201cHer name is Amala\u201d. They had tied the knot in 1942. \u201cThough we had an age difference of 19 years, when we stood beside each other it was impossible to understand that. In fact, he\u2019d always say we looked good together,\u201d she had said in an interview to TOI.
Unfortunately, the centre closed down in 1944 and eventually, the couple settled in Kolkata and opened the Uday Shankar India Culture Centre (USICC) in 1965. Amala worked tirelessly as its founder-director till the centre finally closed down in 2015. In between, she choreographed productions like \u201cSeeta Swayamvara\u201d, \u201cVasavadutta\u201d, \u201cChidambara\u201d, \u201cYuga Chanda\u201d and \u201cChitrangada\u201d and also restaged many of her husband\u2019s original choreographies including \u201cSamanya Kshati\u201d and \u201cMahamanav\u201d.
But before all this happened, she played the lead in \u201cKalpana\u201d \u2013 the 1948-film directed by her husband which revolved around a young dancer\u2019s dream of setting up an academy. It featured the duo in a dance sequence titled \u201cShiva Parvati\u201d which earned the couple critical acclaim both as a stage production and film. Though the film flopped, Satyajit Ray is rumoured to have watched it 11 times. \u201cIt was one of my father\u2019s favourite films and he was obsessed with it. He had loved Amala Shankar\u2019s dance pieces a lot. He liked the experimental and innovative styles and wondered how Uday Shankar had accomplished all that in 1948. Long back, there was a special screening of \u2018Kalpana\u2019 at Technicians\u2019 Studios that was attended by people from abroad. A dear friend of my father – director Lindsay Anderson \u2013 had attended the screening too. I remember attending that screening. Even last year, I had attended her centenary celebrations,\u201d remembered director Sandip Ray, waiting to watch the restored print of the film. Till date, her dance sequences in \u201cKalpana\u201d including the Bharatanatyam-inspired tandav nritya, the Bhil folk dance and the climax where she heads a group of women on stage are discussed in the culture corridors.
In 2012, when the restored film was screened at the Cannes Classic Section 81 years after it was first screened there, Amala was present on stage. Resplendent in a golden sari, the 93-year-old had surprised the audience saying: \u201cI am the youngest heroine here\u201d.
A perfectionist to the core, she was extremely spirited. At 90s, she had asked actor-director Aparna Sen to direct a film where she would dance one last time! Last month, Mamata Shankar Dance Company and Udayan Kalakendra celebrated her birthday by uploading a performance. But it wasn\u2019t dance and acting alone that made her an icon. Director Goutam Ghose recalled how she could paint with her nails and fingers effortlessly on glass slides. In 2013, these works were on display at a solo exhibition titled Nabajiban.
Amala was conferred the Padma Bhushan in 1991 and the Banga Bibhusan by the West Bengal government in 2011. In a condolence message, chief minister Mamata Banerjee said her demise has caused irreparable void in the world of dance. As the state bid farewell to her with a gun salute, Amala was remembered by her family, students and admirers for having lived a full life. \u201cShe wanted a peaceful death and that\u2019s how it happened,\u201d said daughter Mamata. Theatre personality Poulami Bose, who received her guidance for four years, said she \u201cdefined grace\u201d. Her father, thespian Soumitra Chatterjee, knew the Shankars for many years. Remembering her, Bose said, \u201cMy father was absolutely enamoured after watching \u2018Kalpana\u2019. Her grand productions actually developed my interest in theatre. Inspiring us as an arts practitioner, she also taught us how to live life with dignity.\u201d Entrepreneur Sanjiv Goenka echoed the sentiments of many by saying: \u201cHer passing away marks the end of an era. India has lost a great artist.\u201d <\/div>\n