Yamini Krishnamurti, the celebrated Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi dancer, died at the age of 84 at Apollo Hospital in Delhi on Saturday. She had been battling age-related issues and was in the ICU for the past seven months. She was suffering from age-related issues and was in the ICU for the last seven months.
Krishnamurti, born on December 20, 1940, in Madanapalli, Andhra Pradesh, started her dance training at Kalakshetra School of Dance in Chennai under Rukmini Devi Arundale. She also mastered Kuchipudi and Odissi, training under renowned gurus like Pankaj Charan Das and Kelucharan Mohapatra.
She received the Padma Shri in 1968, the Padma Bhushan in 2001, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2016, along the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1977. Prominent figures and institutions expressed their grief and paid tribute to Krishnamurti.
Veteran dancer Rama Vaidyanathan highlighted her dedication and influence on Bharatanatyam, while former Rajya Sabha MP Sonal Mansingh described her as a “meteor in the sky” of Indian dance.
Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu were among the political leaders who expressed their condolences over the death of Bharatanatyam veteran Yamini Krishnamurti on Saturday.
In a heartfelt statement, Governor Dattatreya recalled Yamini Krishnamurti’s significant contributions to classical dance and prayed for her soul’s peace.
Chief Minister Naidu expressed deep grief, noting that Krishnamurti, born in Madanapalli, Andhra Pradesh, in 1940, served as the ‘asthana narthaki’ (resident dancer) of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD). He praised her for bringing international fame to Kuchipudi dance and acknowledged the irreplaceable void her passing leaves.
