Renowned Indian danseuse Amala Shankar passes away at 101

Kolkata: Amala Shankar, the renowned dancer died in Kolkata Friday morning at the age of 101. Wife of Uday Shankar, the legendary dancer who was instrumental in popularising Indian fusion dance across the world, Amala Shankar learned dancing in the 1930s. She was one of the path-breakers for Indian women who rarely performed on public stage at those times.

In a condolence message, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said Amala Shankar's death is an "irreparable" loss in the world of dance.

She tweeted: "Saddened at the passing away of legendary danseuse Amala Di (Shankar). She was an inspiration for dancers across generations. Her demise is an end of an era. We had conferred the Banga Bibhushan award on her in 2011. My heartfelt condolences to her family and her many admirers."

Born as Amala Nandy on June 27, 1919, at Jessore, now in Bangladesh, she was keen on arts and music from an early age and she received abundant encouragement from her father who was a prominent businessman.

In 1931, Amala Shankar met Uday Shankar at the International Colonial Exhibition in Paris, when she was only 11 years old.

She joined Uday Shankar's dance troupe and started performing across the world and thus began a historic journey.