The dancer who mastered Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi and Odissi died on August 3.
In filmmaker K Viswanath’s National Award-winning Sagara Sangamam (1983), Balakrishna (Kamal Haasan), a classical dancer living in penury exclaims at the name Yamini Krishnamurthy in a dance brochure. The reference that reached the medium of popular culture, came from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, when dance found the proscenium besides status and reputation. Young girls and boys and dance aficionados filled up auditoriums to watch Krishnamurthy, and marvel at the dazzling precision of her line and form. The dancer who mastered Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi and Odissi died on August 3.
Krishnamurthy was born into a family of scholars in Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh. Her interest in dance came from the stone sculptures depicting deities and legends in the 2,000-year-old Thillai Nataraja Temple in Tamil Nadu’s Chidambaram, where the family lived later. Her father enrolled her in Kalakshetra under the aegis of Rukmini Devi Arundale, where she learned the grammar of the art form. But since when has grammar been enough in classical dance? As Krishnamurthy would say, “you also need poetry”, which meant that you needed expression and style. She needed a greater dimension and she found that under varied nattuvanars such as Elappa Pillai and Kitappa Pillai later.
When Ashoka Hotel was inaugurated in Delhi, then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was keen that it have a robust cultural wing. After she arrived in Delhi on then-Union Minister Karan Singh’s invite, Krishnamurthy’s fast-paced jatis, intricate footwork and glamorous presence took Delhi by storm. She was among artists such as Pt Ravi Shankar, Ustad Allah Rakha and Ustad Bismillah Khan, who travelled globally, took Indian culture places. Krishnamurthy was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1968, more honours followed. She held the title of Asthana Narthaki (resident dancer) of the 2,000-year Tirupati Tirumala. Krishnamurthy’s death marks an epochal shift in the world of classical dance. She will remain its breakthrough moment.
