Yamini Krishnamurthy (1940-2024): The pillar of Indian classical dances

Indian classical dance exponent Yamini Krishnamurthy passed away on August 3. She was a recipient of Padma Shri in 1968, Padma Bhushan in 2001 and Padma Vibhushan in 2016. She was also conferred the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1977.
Remembering her, Bharatanatyam and Odissi exponent Sonal Mansingh tweeted: “She had a majestic personality. Her Kuchipuddi & Bharatanatyam were unparalleled. Unfortunately she suffered a lot in her last years. My deepest condolences…May her soul attain light in the realm of Dance. Jai Maa. #YaminiKrishnamurthy” 
Her contemporary Kuchipudi Guru Raja Reddy, says, “Yamini Krishnamurthy’s dance was beautiful and it wasn’t just technical but also very precise. She was an extremely dedicated dancer, especially when it came to rehearsals. Her expressions will always stand out to me, they were just mesmerising! Every performance of hers always felt like a complete dance performance. I am yet to see anyone who can compare to a dancer like her. I’ve been feeling very bad ever since I got the news and I can only pray for peace to be upon her soul.”
The news of Krishnamurthy’s demise brought back all the memories for Kathak exponent Shovana Narayan, who says, “Her stage presence was absolutely excellent and her precision in her dance was something to behold. I worked with her from the 70s till the mid 90s… Yaminiji, me and Sonal Mansingh even had a trio called the teen dhara as we represented three rivers. Yaminiji and I have done a lot of performances together, be it at the festivals or at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Though there was a 13 year age gap between us, there was never any feeling of superiority that she had. We had a beautiful camaraderie and I enjoyed it a lot.”
“Yamini Krishnamurthy helped put India on the global map through her dance,” says Madhu Nataraj, Kathak danseuse, adding, “She epitomised the prima donna for me. Her stage presence was something that will always stay by me. I met her as a child, and remember a dance competition that my mother, Maya Rao, and Yamini Krishnamurthy were judging together. That’s a vivid moment I had with her from the 70s where we were sat in the green room… She wasn’t just an excellent dancer but also a loving guru, and I’m sure her students will remember her fondly.” 
Sharing her grief, singer Ila Arun told HT City, “It feels like a heavy loss. It’s like the end of an era. She was one of the greatest dancers of India and we all worshipped her. I don’t have any personal connection with Yamini, but she was a pillar in the dancers’ community and we all feel like we’ve lost a pillar.”