‘Nataraja' Ramakrishna (88), the Kuchipudi legend known for his ‘Andhra Natyam' and ‘Perini Shivatandavam,' passed away on Tuesday morning at the Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS). He was a bachelor.
The dance maestro was admitted to the hospital for treatment of pneumonia and stroke about 10 days ago. He was on a ventilator since the past three days. The last rites will be performed on Wednesday morning by Kala Krishna, a dance teacher who was a favourite of his, under the aegis of the Andhra Pradesh Cultural Council. He will be buried on the land given to him by the government adjacent to the Taramati Baradari on the outskirts of the city.
Ramakrishna was born in Bali, Indonesia, where his parents Damayanti Devi, who hailed from Nalgonda, and Ramamohan Rao, from East Godavari, migrated. The family later returned to India and from his childhood, Ramakrishna was interested in classical dance forms. At the age of 18, he was given the title of ‘Nataraja' in Nagpur, which got added to his name Ramakrishna. His first dance teacher was Sukhdev Kartak in Nagpur.
Among the awards bestowed upon him were the Padma Shri in 1992, a doctorate from the Andhra University and a ‘Bharata Kala Prapoorna,' apart from the NTR State Award. He is most known for reviving the 700-year-old dance form ‘Perini Shivatandavam.' He served as Chairman of the Andhra Pradesh Sangeet Natak Akademi.
