Dance historian Sunil Kothari dies of cardiac arrest; Hema Malini remembers him as 'eminent dance critic'

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Padma Shri dance historian and critic Sunil Kothari passed away Sunday morning at a Delhi hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was 87. "He had tested positive for COVID-19 almost a month back and was not in a good condition," Vidha Lal, a family friend and herself a dancer, told PTI. Kothari was recovering at home in Asian Games Village but was rushed to a hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest this morning, she added. After the shocking demise, Bollywood actress Hema Malini mourned and remembered him as the person who encouraged her in the initial stage of her career. 

Taking to Twitter, Hema Malini wrote, "Sunil Kothari, eminent dance critic has passed away. He was one of those who encouraged me in the initial stage of my career. He was a passionate lover of art, a spl person who took grt interest in classical dance and encouraged young dancers. Will truly miss u Sunilji."

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Born on December 20, 1933 in Mumbai, Kothari qualified as a Chartered Accountant before turning to the study of Indian dance forms. Kothari authored more than 20 books on the subject of Indian dance forms including "Sattriya Dances of Assam", "New Directions in Indian Dance", and also on Bharatanatayam, Odissi, Chhau, Kathak, Kuchipudi, and Photo Biographies of Uday Shankar and Rukmini Devi Arundale.

The dance scholar held the Uday Shankar Chair in Rabindra Bharati University, and taught in the Dance Department of New York University as a Fulbright Professor.

Kothari received numerous titles and awards for his contribution to Indian dance forms including the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1995); the Gaurav Puraskar conferred by the Gujarat Sangeet Natak Akademi (2000); the Padma Shri bestowed by the Government of India (2001); and the Life Time Achievement Award of the Dance Critics Association, New York, USA (2011).

He was also an elected Fellow of Sangeet Natak Akademi for his contribution to Indian dance as a scholar.

-With PTI inputs