Renowned Bharatnatyam guru Shri Mani passed away Wednesday morning (June 28) in Mumbai after a prolonged illness, his family said today.

He was 84.

He was one of the persons responsible for the growth of Bharatnatyam in the city and founded the Kalasadan Institute of Fine Arts in 1954 at Sion in Central Mumbai.

Hailing from Trichur in Kerala, he came to Mumbai to work and was at IBH.

He was also involved with the Chetana Cultural Centre which invited south Indian artistes to come to Mumbai in the 1950s. He then learnt dance from guru Kuppiah Pillai and was sustained by his family.

He nurtured the classical arts in Mumbai for over five decades.

He was hospitalised for 20 days at a hospital in Chembur, his artist son Nataraj Gopal said. He is survived two sons, three daughters and wife Meenakshi.

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