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 Uday Shankar

A commemorative postage stamp on the 1st Death Anniversary of Udai Shankaran Indian dancer and choreographer, pioneer of modern dance in India :

Uday Shankar Chowdhury (উদয় শঙ্কর) : Tandava Nrityaउदय शंकर : Pioneer of Modern Dance in IndiaIssued by India

Issued on Sep 26, 1978

Description of Design : The stamp is vertical, depicting Uday Shankar in a dance pose. The First Day Cover shows “TANDAVANRITTYA” by Uday Shankar Ballet. It is horizontal and multicolour.

Type : StampMint condition

Colour : Buff and Plum 

Denomination : 25 Paise

Overall size : 3.91 X 2.90 cms.

Printing size : 3.91 X 2.90 cms.

Perforation : 13 x 13

Watermark : Unwatermarked paper

Number printed : 30,00,000

Number per issue sheet : 35

Printing Process : Photogravure

Designed and printed at : India Security Press

Name : Uday Shankar Chowdhury 

Born on Dec 8, 1900 at Udaipur, Rajasthan, India

Died on Sep 26, 1977 at Kolkata, West Bengal, India

About : 

  • Uday Shankar was born on December 8, 1900, in Udaipur. He was the eldest son of Dr. Shyam Shankar Chowdhury, an educationist. Uday spent his childhood at Ghazipur. A truant who hated school, he sneaked away from home to watch a dance and he repeated at it home.
  • Uday Shankar was sent to school at Varanasi and then to the J.J. School of ArtsBombay. In 1920, he went to England and was admitted to the Royal College of ArtsLondon, where he tried to master Western painting under Sir William Rothenstein. However, he opted for a dancing career in 1922 under the influence of Anna PavlovaEurope‘s then leading Ballerina.
  • He tried his hand in running a school of dancing at Almora (1939) and at producing a film “Kalpana“. As a dancer, he was original, as a choreographer, idealistic. He was the first person to present an Indian ballet with an Indian theme, accompanied by a musical score in which no foreign instrument was used. Uday Shankar with his troupe toured extensively in Europe, America and other parts of the world. He can be called one of the great cultural ambassadors of our age.
  • His main achievement was the blending of the Indian classical style with the western ballet and various folk dances. Much of his inspiration came from Indian mythology and temple sculpture, which he re-created with his own imaginative ideas about dress decor and music in its many dimensions. Notable examples of this synthesis were his famous items like Shivatandava, GajasurabadhKartikeya, Indra and Labour and Machine.
  • He passed away on September 26, 1977.
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