When the ghunguroos fell silent
Published : Dec 11, 2020, 4:03 pm IST
Updated : Dec 11, 2020, 4:06 pm IST
The world of performing arts mourns the passing of an icon who was a trailblazer for contemporary Indian dance
Astad Deboo
Astad Deboo the dance icon who seamlessly brought together Kathak and Kathakali as an ensemble art form, left millions of fans and friends grieving when he passed away in the early hours of December 10, in Mumbai.
Seventy-two-year-old Deboo fought his way with sheer talent and grit to a meaningful place on the list of India’s best-known dance icons, challenging the power and prejudice of ‘sabhas’ along the way. With flared dhotis and attractive angarkhas, he brought magic to his dance form. As a six-year-old boy, Deboo was sent to learn Kathak. In 1969, when he was 20, he boarded a cargo ship at Bombay Port, and embarked on a journey to see the world while pursuing his passion for dance. He hitch-hiked his way through Europe and went fur