Noted dance critic, historian and scholar Sunil Kothari died on Sunday from a cardiac arrest, PTI reported. He was 87.

Kothari had tested positive for the coronavirus about a month ago, and was not in good health, his family friend and dancer Vidha Lal told the news agency. He was recovering in his home, located in the Asian Games Village locality of Delhi, but had to be taken to hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest on Sunday morning, Lal said.

Born on December 20, 1933, in Mumbai, Kothari authored more than 20 books on the subject of Indian dance forms. This includes his study of Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Chhau, Kathak and Kuchipudi. He also published photo-biographies of dancers Uday Shankar and Rukmini Devi Arundale.

The scholar held the Uday Shankar Chair in Rabindra Bharati University, and taught in the Dance Department of New York University as a Fulbright Professor.

Kothari’s extensive study of Indian dance made him the recipient of numerous titles and awards, including the Padma Shri in 2001. He was given the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1995, and was conferred the Gaurav Puraskar by the Gujarat Sangeet Natak Akademi in 2000. In 2011, he won the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Dance Critics Association, New York.

Tributes pour in