Veteran lavani artist Shakuntala Nagarkar dies at 66
Shakuntala Nagarkar, known for her mastery of traditional sangeet bari and baithaki lavani, died after a battle with cancer.
Sad news has emerged from Maharashtra's folk art and lavani circles. Veteran lavani dancer Shakuntala Nagarkar has died at the age of 66. She had been battling cancer for some time. News of her death emerged today, after which many artists, admirers and prominent figures from Maharashtra's folk art and cultural circles have expressed condolences.
A resident of Ahilyanagar, Shakuntala Nagarkar devoted more than five decades of her life to the art of lavani. She first tied ghungroos and stepped into the world of lavani at just 11 years of age. Her artistic journey then continued in areas such as Pune, Solapur and Belgaum.
Shakuntala Nagarkar was known in particular as a dancer of traditional sangeet bari and baithaki lavani. She had a formidable command over expression, performance, subtlety and the romantic elements of lavani presentation. Her performances clearly reflected the traditional style of lavani and the imprint of folk art.
She also contributed to taking lavani beyond the traditional tamasha stage to a wider audience. Through director Bhushan Korgaonkar's theatrical production "Sangeet Bari," she presented the tradition of baithaki lavani to modern urban audiences.
Her contribution to the arts was honoured with several awards, including the state government's Shahir Patthe Bapurao Award, among other honours. Following her death, her contribution to Maharashtra's folk art field is being remembered once again.
The Sangeet Natak Akademi is a national-level performing arts institution under the Union Ministry of Culture, whose awards are given for contributions in the fields of music, dance, drama and traditional and folk arts.
Following Shakuntala Nagarkar's death, BJP's Maharashtra state president Ravindra Chavan paid tribute on social media. In his post, Chavan said that her death marks the end of an important era in Maharashtra's folk art field.
Over her long artistic journey, Shakuntala Nagarkar worked to preserve the traditions of lavani, sangeet bari and baithaki lavani. Her death is being felt as the loss of a veteran artist from this field.
