Sharmila Banerjee

Amala Shankar, the ever graceful, legendary Indian danseuse, wife of dance maestro Uday Shankar, mother of Mamata and Ananda Shankar, steps onto her 100th year in this world June 27.

Amala Shankar, the ever graceful, legendary Indian danseuse, wife of dance maestro Uday Shankar, mother of Mamata and Ananda Shankar, steps onto her 100th year today. When I met her last year on the eve of herbirthday, she was still thinking about teaching dance, planning meetings for new works and productions with her students, still hopeful and dreaming about dance.

From the primitive times, dance has been a part of life of every tribe, every ethnic community and every nation. Being the most