Amala Shankar, a legendary dancer of the subcontinent, has died. Ther morning (July 24), her granddaughter Srinonda Shankar shared the news on Facebook. She was 101 years old at the time of her death.
Posting several pictures with Amala Shankar on social media, her granddaughter wrote, “Grandma has left us today at the age of 101. I celebrated her birthday last month. There are no flights from Mumbai to Kolkata, so I am feeling very restless and broken. I wish her peace. A chapter concludes. Love you Thamma. Thank you for everything.”
According to Indian media sources, she is believed to have died due to old age. However, her granddaughter did not say anything about it.
Born on June 27, 1919, Amala Shankar’s 101st birthday was celebrated last month. In 1931, at the age of 11, she participated in the International Colonial Exhibition in Paris. It was at that time that she came in contact with Shankar’s family. After a while she started training with Uday Shankar. They got married in 1942. In the last four decades of the last century, Uday Shankar and Amla Shankar have gained special fame all over the world. Amla Shankar’s performance as Uma in Kalpana, directed by Uday Shankar, caught everyone’s attention and was also acclaimed at the Cannes Film Festival. Within a few days, they became one of the most famous dancers in the world.
Ananda Shankar is the first child of Udaya Shankar and Amala Shankar. And daughter Mamata Shankar was born in January 1955. The whole Shankar family is world famous in the world of dance. Uday Shankar passed away in 1986. Later, daughter Mamata Shankar and daughter-in-law Tanushree Shankar continued the dance tradition in their family. Even today, many students are following the path shown by them. The culture of Bengal is rich in their dance traditions.
The death of the proverbial dancer Amala Shankar has cast a shadow of mourning over the dance world of both Bengals. Many mourned her death and wished her peace.