Kathak legend Sitara Devi passes away

Kathak prodigy Vishal Krishna who is set to perform on the concluding day of the third Bengal Classical Music Festival has lost her grandmother eminent Kathak danseuse Sitara Devi. Sitara Devi died on Tuesday at Mumbai's Jaslok Hospital after a prolonged illness, her son-in-law Rajesh Mishra  told the media. She was 94.

Recipient of prestigious awards like Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Padma Shri and Kalidas Samman, Sitara Devi was known as Dhannolakshmi in the family of Brahmin “kathakar” Sukhdev Maharaj in Calcutta (Kolkata) in 1920. The family moved to Bombay (now Mumbai) when she was 11. Early on she impressed Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore with a marathon three-hour solo recital.

Over the next six decades, she became a Kathak legend and is credited with  bringing the genre to Bollywood.

Her death leaves a vacuum in the world of dance. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of Sitara Devi.

“PM has condoled the passing away of noted Kathak dancer Sitara Devi. PM also recalled her rich contribution to Kathak,” tweeted the Indian Prime Minister's Office.