Bharatnatyam veteran Yamini Krishnamurthy dies at 83

Veteran Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi dancer Yamini Krishnamurthy passed away at Delhi’s Apollo Hospital on Saturday, reported PTI. She was 83.

“She was suffering from age-related issues and was in the ICU [intensive care unit] for the last seven months,” the classical dancer’s manager and secretary Ganesh told the news agency.

Krishnamurthy’s body will be taken to her institute, Nritya Kaustubha, in Delhi’s Hauz Khas area at 9am on Sunday. She is survived by two sisters. The details of her last rites have not been shared publicly.

Padma Vibushan Yamini Krishnamurthy, an icon of Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi, has taken her final bow. Her departure is a tremendous loss for the art community, but her legacy will continue to inspire and guide future generations of dancers. We honour her life and contributions to… pic.twitter.com/0gpN6B1RDz— Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (@ignca_delhi) August 3, 2024

Krishnamurthy received the Padma Shri in 1968, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1977, the Padma Bhushan in 2001 and the Padma Vibhushan – India’s second-highest civilian award – in 2016.

The Hindu reported that Krishnamurthy “is credited with popularising Bharatnatyam in North India, as early as in the 1960s, when she chose Delhi as her home…She strove to take the dance form to the global stage, and like sitar...

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