Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Jul 19: Renowned dance guru and founder of Radhakrishna Nritya Niketan, Radhakrishna Tantri (72) breathed his last owing to cardiac arrest at his residence located in Bailakere in the town, at midnight on Thursday July 17.

Tantri, who got immensely interested in various forms of performing arts since a very young age, got tabla training from the late Dasa Bhat Udupi. He later learnt Bharatnatyam under the tutelage of Vidwan Lokaiah. He also underwent Kathak and Janapada dance training from K Janardan.

Tantri later mastered the Kuchipudi form of dancing, Bharatnatyam and the system of dancing in royal court, at Hyderabad. He later conducted in-depth study of the oral and expressional aspects of literature connected with dance. He won a prize at the all India level dance competition held at New Delhi in the year 1963. He had also earned praise for a dance performance he gave then at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, from the then President of India Dr S Radhakrishnan.

After settling down in the city, Tantri, frustrated over the total disregard the society showed towards dance forms, took to business. After 20 long years in business, he set up Radhakrishna Nritya Niketan in 1988, through which he trained thousands of students, many of whom have won laurels at the national and international levels. He toured several states apart from countries like USA, Australia and Germany for showcasing the richness of our Indian performing art forms.

He had won the Karnataka Rajyotsava award, felicitation by Prayaya Pejawar Swamiji with golden armlet, 'Nritya Kalasindhu' title of Mysore Gana Natya Kala Parishat and 'Nritya Kalaprapoorna' award at the state-level Bharatnatyam programme held here.

He is survived by musician wife Prema Tantri, daughter Veena Muralidhar who also is a trained singer and three sons.