Noted dancer-choreographer Amala Shankar passes away

Shubhadeep Choudhury
Tribune News Service
Kolkata, July 24

Danseuse Amala Shankar, who was married to the late legendary dancer-choreographer Uday Shankar, died at her Kolkata residence on Friday morning.

She was 101 and died of old age.

The couple had two children. Their son, Ananda Shankar, who is an acclaimed music composer, died in 1999. He was 57 while their daughter, Mamata Shankar, who is 65-years-old, is an actress-turned-dancer and choreographer.

Mamata Shankar debuted opposite Mithun Chakraborty in Mrinal Sen’s Hindi film “Mrigaya”. She has primarily acted in Bengali movies.

Uday Shankar, who was the elder brother of the late sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar, married Amala Shankar in 1942.

She was then a member of her dance troupe.

The marriage failed to endure the test of time.

Uday Shankar spent the final years of his life with Anupama Das. She was a student at the dance school that Uday and Amala Shabnkar ran in Kolkata.

At 76, Uday Shankar died in 1977. Later, it was found that he gifted his theatrical costumes and other dancing paraphernalia to Das.

The rights of the Uday Shankar and Amala Shabkar feature film “Kalpana”, made by Uday Shankar, was also given away to Anupama by the Padma Vibhushan awardee.

The deed gifting the items to Anupama did not show Uday Shankar’s immediate family members in a favourable light.

It mentioned that the donor was having strained feelings and relations with his family members including his wife, son and daughter and alleged that they abandoned him.

In a condolence message Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee mourned Amala Shankar’s death.

“Her death has caused an irreparable loss to the word of dancing”, stated the message from Banerjee.

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