Malayasian Bharatanatyam exponent dies during dance show in Odisha

Bharatnatyam Guru, Sri Ganeshan, fell unconscious while lighting a lamp on stage just before his dance performance in Bhubaneswar

Malaysia-based noted Bharatnatyam Guru, Sri Ganeshan passed away on Friday evening just before his dance performance in Bhubaneswar.

Malaysia-based Bharatnatyam Guru, Sri Ganeshan. (File)

Ganeshan, 63, fell unconscious while lighting a lamp before the second phase of the dance performance on stage, on the third day of his visit. Other guests and dancers rushed him to Capital Hospital, where he was declared dead.

Ganesan, who dedicated his life to the dance form, learnt Bharatanatyam under the guidance of Guru K J Sarasa of Saraslaya in Madras between 1979 and 1987. In 1987, he started ‘Sri Ganesalaya’ in Kuala Lumpur that has till now produced more than 3,000 students. It has also produced more than 350 shows, including several dance dramas such as Ramayana. In 1991, his troupe with 20 dancers represented Malaysia at the International Ramayana Dance Festival in Bangkok, Thailand, during Thai princess’s birth anniversary.