Uday Shankar Biography 
Uday Shankar was an Indian dancer and choreographer, known for fusion of art forms. He used to adapt Western theatrical techniques to traditional Indian classical dance forms and produce a new form of dance and one of the earliest artists who has conducted such experiments. He is always regarded as one of the great names of Indian contemporary period who popularized Indian folk dances conducting tours worldwide. He was a pioneer of modern dance in India. He has received Padma Vibhushan and Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship from government of India. World famous sitar player Ravi Shankar is his younger brother.
Shankar’s full name is Uday Shankar Chowdhury. He was born on 8 December 1900 in Udaipur, Rajasthan. His father Shyam Shankar Chowdhury was a noted barrister of Maharaja of Jhalawar. He was also a noted Sanskrit scholar who has received many resignations. His mother is Hemangini Devi. At the age of 18, Uday went to J. J. School of Art, Mumbai and then to Gandharva Mahavidyalaya. Later he moved to London where he got married to an English lady. During this time, he practiced law and introduced Indian dance and music to Britain. He organized many dance programs in London and once such a program was attended by noted Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. It was one of the beautiful events of Uday’s artistic career.
Uday Shankar did not have any formal training in any of the Indian classical dance forms. His choreographed dance forms do not claim creativity also. Yet it appealed millions. But he was exposed to Indian classical dance forms and folk dances, and they well reflected in his lovely creations too. Uday married his dance partner Amala Shankar and the couple had two children. Their son Ananda Shankar became a musician while their daughter, Mamata Shankar became a noted dancer and film actress.
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Updated: January 08, 2014
