Mohiniyattam, Kathakali exponent Kanak Rele passes away

Mumbai: Renowned Mohiniyattam and Kathakali exponent Dr Kanak Rele passed away here on Wednesday. She was 85 and survived by her husband, Yatindra Rele, son Rahul and his family.

A Padma Bhushan laureate, Rele was the founder and director of the Nalanda Dance Research Centre as well as the founder-principal of the Nalanda Nritya Kala Mahavidyalaya in Mumbai, Deccan Herald reported.

Rele was born in Gujarat and spent her childhood in Shantiniketan and Kolkata. She did Law at the Government Law College of the University of Mumbai and then did a diploma in International Law from the University of Manchester.

She has a PhD in dance from the University of Mumbai.

From the age of seven, she started learning Kathakali from Guru “Panchali” Karunakara Panicker. Later she became Kalamandalam Rajalakshmi’s student for Mohiniyattam.

After deep research and studying ancient texts, Rele developed her own style of Mohiniyattam, the Kanak Rele School.

Rene is the recipient of many awards and accolades during her dance career of around eight decades. She won the Padma Shri in 1989, Padma Bhushan in 2013, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1994, Kalidas Samman in 2006, MS Subbulakshmi Award etc.

Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais, in his condolence message, said that Rele dedicated her entire life to the field of dance in propagation, promotion, research etc.

DH quoted him, “In her demise, we have lost a great Nritya Tapaswini.”