NEW DELHI: Delhi-based Dr. Yamini Krishnamurti, a doyenne of Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi who straddled the worlds of classical dance and music with equal ease, passed away on Saturday while undergoing treatment at Apollo Hospital in New Delhi. Krishnamurti's manager and secretary Ganesh told the news agency PTI that she was suffering from age-related issues and had been in the ICU for the last seven months.

Born in 1940 at Madanapalle in Annamayya district in Andhra Pradesh to Sanskrit scholar M Krishnamurti, Yamini was not only a Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi veteran learning she was also proficient in Odissi which she learnt from the likes of Pankaj Charan Das and Kelucharan Mohapatra and was a proficient Carnatic musician trained in both Carnatic vocals and the veena.  

Yamini is credited for popularising Kuchipudi both nationally and internationally during her career, which has spanned several decades and for her contribution to the art she received Padma Shri at the young age of 28 in 1968, followed by Padma Bhushan in 2001 and Padma Vibhushan in 2016. She was also conferred the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award the highest Indian recognition given to people in the field of performing arts in 1977.

To popularise the art she also founded a Bharatanatyam dance school in Delhi, where she trained countless dancers and also contributed articles on various aspects of dance traditions to leading journals of the country, and authored a book titled 'A Passion For Dance: My Autobiography'.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to X and posted, "Pained by the passing away of Dr Yamini Krishnamurthy. Her excellence and dedication to Indian classical dance have inspired generations and left an indelible mark on our cultural landscape. She has worked greatly to enrich our heritage. Condolences to her family and admirers. Om Shanti."

Bharatanatyam dancer Sonal Mansingh who is also a former Rajya Sabha MP posted, "Just got the sad news of the passing away of India's great dancer Yamini Krishnamurthy, Padmabhushan and Padma Vibhushan awardee. She blazed like a meteor across the sky, the firmament of the Indian dance art. She was my senior. We all looked up to her."