SAN FRANCISCO: Chitresh Das, dancer, choreographer, composer and educator of the North Indian classical Indian dance form Kathak died of an aortic dissection on Sunday January 4 in Marin County. He was 70.
Das who was known for a new style of dance called, Kathak yoga, had followers from all around the world. Das’ parents were founders of Nritya Bharati, the first of its kind dance school, where different dance forms were taught.
In 1970, Das went to United States on a fellowship to teach Kathak at the University of Maryland. Later in his career, the dancer was also a guest faculty at Stanford University and was instrumental in forming the first accredited Kathak course at San Francisco State University.
Das learnt Kathak from Pandit Ram Narayan Misra, a renowned Kathak instructor who taught tawaifs at Kolkata Bowbazar.
Talking about Kathak yoga, Das had once told New York Times that “This is a recent thing in Kathak history… because our form is classical doesn’t mean it doesn’t evolve.”
Das won several awards and fellowships for his dance. The performer won the Isadora Duncan Dancer of the Year Award twice. He also received grants from Olympic Arts Festival, National Endowment for the Arts, California Arts Council and Rockefeller Foundation among others.
Das was the most familiar figure on the busy Bay Area Indian dance scene and frequently performed locally, as recently as September.
In 1979, he started the Chhandam School of Kathak to instruct a younger generation in the art of Kathak, a semi-narrative form of movement.
In 2002, he founded the Chhandam Nritya Bharati in his native India. Today, there are 10 branches of his school worldwide.
Das’ parents, who were both dancers, established one of India’s first Kathak institutions, and he often referred to his mother as his “first guru.”
Das grew up in his parents’ dance school in Calcutta, India, studying Kathak traditions as a 9-year old, and gaining fame at 11 as a prodigy.
Called by the honorific names pandit or guruji, Das toured India, North America and Europe, acclaimed for his virtuosic footwork and compelling storytelling. His innovations included Kathak Yoga, a confluence of dance and meditation. He also was a central figure in the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival.
“His contribution to Kathak, to dance, to art, to India, to community, to humanity, and to life stretches across the globe,” said a statement released by his school and troupe, which promised to continue his legacy.
The statement said, “”Pt. Das did not suffer and was surrounded by family and loved ones. In his words, “Life and death are the only reality. You come alone, you go alone. Only thing to do in between is practice and do whatever you do with love.” He certainly did that and then some.”
Pt. Das is survived by his wife, Celine, his two daughters, Shivaranjani and Saadhvi, his disciples, students and countless people he had touched. A memorial service will be held on January 25.
India Post News Service
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