Dancer and choreographer Amala Shankar died in Kolkata on Friday, her family said. She was 101.
“Today my Thamma left us at the age of 101,” Amala Shankar’s granddaughter and actor Sreenanda Shankar posted on Twitter. “We just celebrated her birthday last month. Feeling so restless that there is no flight from Mumbai to Kolkata. Heartbroken. May her soul Rest in peace. This is an end of an era. Love you Thamma. Thank you everything.”
Amala Shankar was awarded the Banga Vibhushan by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in 2011 for her work in the field of art.
Amala Shankar was married to dancer and choreographer Uday Shankar. She first met him in Paris at the age of 11 and went on to perform across the world with his dance group. Musician Ananda Shankar and actor Mamata Shankar are their children.
Members of the film and art fraternity took to Twitter to pay their tributes to Amala Shankar. “Heartfelt respect Amala Shankar,” director Arindam Sil tweeted. “Pray for her soul rest in peace.”
“My beloved guru, Amala Shankar, or Maashi Maa, as we call her, has passed away,” journalist Pragya Tiwari wrote on Twitter. “Some part of me will always be with her in Jay Jayanti, listening to stories of another world after relentless 6 hour rehearsals.”
Mamata Banerjee called Amala Shankar’s death an “irreparable loss” to the world of dance, NDTV reported.
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