Sunil Kothari (20 December 1933 – 27 December 2020) was a noted
Indian dance
Dance in India comprises numerous styles of dances, generally classified as classical or folk. As with other aspects of Indian culture, different forms of dances originated in different parts of India, developed according to the local tradi ...
historian, scholar and critic. He was also former Uday Shankar Professor at
Ravindra Bharti University,
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
.
Career
He completed M. A. in 1964 and PhD in 1977. Professionally, Sunil Kothari was a
chartered accountant. He started his career with ''
The Times of India
''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...
''. He also taught at
Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics
Sydenham College of Economics is a college located in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is affiliated to the Dr. Homi Bhabha State University. The college offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in management. It was awarded a re-accreditat ...
. He freelanced as a writer. He lived in Asian Games Village in Delhi.
Death
He died on 27 December 2020 due to a cardiac arrest caused by COVID-19 complications.
Awards
He received
Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
award in 2001.
He also received
Sangeet Natak Akademi award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IPA: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in Englis ...
in 1995 for overall contribution to the Indian classical dance. He was awarded
Kumar Chandrak
Kumar Suvarana Chandrak or the Kumar Gold Medal is a literary award given by Kumar Trust, Ahmedabad, India since 1944. The medal is annually conferred to a Gujarati author for his contribution in '' Kumar'' magazine published by Kumar Trust. In 1 ...
in 1961 and
Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak
Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak, also known as the Ranjitram Gold Medal, was founded by Gujarat Sahitya Sabha and is considered the highest literary award in Gujarati literature. The award is named after renowned Gujarati writer Ranjitram Mehta. It is ...
in 2012.
Bibliography
He has written 12 books on different forms of Indian classical dance and allied art-forms.
* ''Bharata Natyam: Indian Classical Dance Art''
* ''Odissi: Indian Classical Dance Art''
* ''Rasa: The Indian Performing Arts in the Last 25 Years''
* ''Kuchipudi: Indian Classical Dance Art''
* ''Photo Biography of Rukmini Devi''
* ''Kathak: Indian Classical Dance Art''
* ''New Directions In Indian Dance''
* ''Chhau Dances of India''
* ''Damaru: Essays on Classical Dance, Music, Performing Arts, Folk Dances, Rituals, Crafts''
References
External links
Sunil Kothari website
Bharatanatyam exponents
Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts
Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Dance critics
Indian art critics
Scholars from Delhi
Dance historians
1933 births
2020 deaths
Dance writers
Indian male writers
Indian art historians
20th-century Indian historians
20th-century Indian dancers
Recipients of the Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak
Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in India
Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
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