Tribute to dance maestro,Uday Shankar

The legendary Uday Shankar.His wife Amala Shankar is seen in the inset

Uday Shankar was born on 8th December 1900 in Udaypur, Rajsthan. Since his tender age, Uday Shankar had the opportunity to watch several dance forms in various places. When he became a full fledged dancer, his dance patterns saw the reflections of all that he had seen and acquired from different places since his childhood.

His special talents of a creative order have been instrumental in bringing to light the hidden beauties of the sub-continental dance through perfectly conceived dance ballets. The Uday Shankar school of the dance is one of the creative work, embodying the expressive gestures, wonderful rhythms, varied subjects and dramatic forms. Uday Shankar tried to blend the western dance presentation with eastern dance concepts. He was well versed with western dances and he grafted music on different Indian gestures, bodylines, sculptural poses taking inspiration from not only folk and classical forms, but also from visual art forms like paintings. His dances were a synthesis of East and West and one of the characteristics of his dances was the utilisation of the fourth dimension like a sculpture. Uday Shankar was aware of the contemporary relevance of his choreographed themes.

He gained the praise of critics and audiences in England, Europe and America not only for the artistic performances he gave year after year in these countries, but for his gift of being able to convey through his art the true message and meaning of the Indian dance.

Uday Shankar had an intense desire latent in his heart to found a dance institution. He started making preparations for founding this dream institution in Almora in 1939. Accordingly, the 'Uday Shankar India Culture Centre' came into existence in 1940. Here in Almora the dance maestro met Amala Nandi. Amala Shankar, Uday Shankar's talented partner and wife, has contributed a great deal of charm and artistry as well as ability to her husbands performances.

Uday Shankar achieved considerable fame, reputation and honour in India as a quintessential dancer. Once poet Rabindranath Tagore was so overwhelmed after seeing a dance maestro's performance that he invited Uday Shankar to come to Shantiniketan.

Uday Shankar made Shiva-Parvathi Dance Ballet, Rhythm of Life, Man and Machine, Radha-Krishna Ballet, shadow plays (Dance drama) like Ramayana and many other productions.

He also made a famous film Kalpana based on the life of the dance maestro. Uday Shankar directed and acted in that film. His wife Amala Shankar still runs the institution Uday Shankar India Culture Centre. His daughter Mamata Shankar runs the Mamata Shankar Ballet Troup'. Only son Ananda Shankar (Late) and daughter-in-law Tanusree Shankar ran their dance institution also.

Today on his 103rd birth anniversary on behalf of all the dance artistes of Bangladesh, we pay rich tribute to the great maestro Uday Shankar and to his creative ginius.

The author is a choreographer and a renowned Manipuri and creative dancer.