DR Sunil Kothari was a notable individual whom one assumes would be around forever. He was the veritable Narada of the Indian dance world, a dance sadhu who was able to be here, there and everywhere.
When it was announced that he had passed away on Dec 27, 2020 of cardiac arrest at the age of 87, we were unable to digest the news.
Even though some of us may have had premonitions when it was announced that Sunil had Covid-19, most thought he would somehow survive it.
News of his death was hard for the Indian dance world since it had yet to recover from the recent demise of modern dancer Astad Deboo just the week before.
One of the most prolific dance historians, scholars and critics whose ubiquitous presence was felt globally, Mumbai-born Dr Sunil Kothari cut a major figure in the history of Indian dance for the last six decades.
His research and writings not only covered all the major classical dances but also contemporary modern dance of India.
He was keen that Indian dance should be a dynamic vehicle of contemporary concerns, not just about the exploits of Hindu gods and goddesses.
As such, he championed the cause of Indian contemporary modern dance, and promoted alternative viewpoints from Uday Shankar, Chandralekha, Mrinalini Sarabhai to Ratan Thiyam.
Sunil was closely acquainted with the great Indian painters of his time such as Gulam Mohammed Sheikh, K.G. Subramanyan, Bhupen Khakar and Jatin Das.
Sutra was privileged that all of these legendary personalities had at one time or other been brought by Sunil to Sutra performances in India.
Sunil was author of fewer than 18 books on Indian dances, and recently, launched his latest book on titled Sattriya: Classical Dance of Assam, celebrating Satriya officially as the eighth classical dance of India.
He confided that he was in the thick of gathering materials for his autobiography which "will tell all". I doubt that he had completed it.
Once, on visiting Odiyan artist Jatin Das who was his neighbour at the Asiad Village, New Delhi where many artists lived, I decided to make a surprise visit to his house, next door.
When I entered, it was apparent that Sunil hardly lived in this house. The bare walls with books and files strewn all over the floor spoke of an itinerant soul who was everywhere except at his own home.
During the 1960s, India nurtured a slew of devoted and outstanding pioneers who dedicated their lives to reviving their respective fields of expertise, augmenting the post-independence image of India.
Sunil was precisely in the creative eye of the storm, so to speak, and was part of the revival of Indian classical dance which was gaining full momentum.
He found his destiny as a writer of dance and left his chartered accountant job to pursue his passion.
As an impressionable young man, Sunil came under the spell of the minds that mattered in the arts then, such as Kamala Devi Chattopadhayay, Dr Mulk Raj Anand, Rukmini Devi and Kapila Vatsyayan.
Sunil interacted with the great Indian dance figures of the 20th century such as Shanta Rao and Balasaraswati (bharatanatyam), Sambu Maharaj (kathak), Vempati Chinnasatyam (kuchipudi), and Kelucharan Mohapatra (odissi), to name a few.
The late pioneering dance scholar Mohan Khokar provided Sunil with the initial directional push and advice.
His first major break was when he was persuaded by the writer-aesthete Dr Mulk Raj Anand to research and write about the newly discovered classical dance, called odissi.
At the behest of Dr Mulk Raj Anand, Sunil was able to present his preeminent article on odissi for Marg, one of India's influential arts magazines.
The article, illustrated with magnificent photographs by pioneer dance photographer Avinash Parischa, created a sensation and indelible imprint on the national psyche.
Dr Sunil Kothari was the exceptional Indian art historian who was cognizant of the connection between Indian dance and western modern dance traditions, their shared points of reference and evolution.
He was perceptive of the initial influence of Indian myths on early pioneers of modern dance such as Ruth St Denis and Ted Shawn, both of whom had a strong influence on Martha Graham, later to become the high priestess of modern dance.
The enigmatic dancer Ram Gopal was Sunil's model of an Indian dancer who was simultaneously an international star.
Ram Gopal's larger-than-life image and anglophile lifestyle as a celebrated exotic Indian dance icon in fashionable London and the ease with which he conducted himself among the upper echelon of London society were a constant source of anecdotes.
Sunil is a dramatic storyteller which he delivered in a distinct high-pitched voice.
His encyclopedic thought-process can run ahead of his speech. If one is lucky, one would experience a recitation of some dance verses climaxing with a grand sweep of a gestural flourish.
Everyone has some entertaining anecdotes related to Sunil. My favourite was that he could catch up with his sleep in mid-sentence, staying still in suspended animation and then would continue where he had left off in the same tone of voice — after a 10-minute doze!
Sunil and I met in the early '90s during my first solo odissi performance in New Delhi for a festival organised by dancer Jyoti Shrivastava.
I premiered the Dasamahavidya, based on the Ten Transcendent Knowledge of the Goddess, commissioned to the young guru, Gajendra Panda.
Performed to live music, it was sensationally received. Sunil gushed after the performance, in his elegant standard black shirvani exclaiming "Where have you been all this time?"
Sunil visited Kuala Lumpur on many occasions, not only to attend performances but also to present many lectures on subjects such as Rukmini Devi's Kalakshetra, Ananda Coomarasamy, Uday Shankar, Ram Gopal and Chandralekha.
The most memorable visit was when Sunil came with the great odissi dancer Sonal Mansingh (when they were still friends).
Sunil gave a lecture on Uday Shankar and Sonal presented a memorable performance of odissi at the High Commission of India, Kuala Lumpur.
I was highly amused when Sonal-ji stopped in mid-sentence as Sunil had been continually interrupting her to complete it.
Sonal-ji looked at me with her huge eyes, with a mixture of irritation, simultaneously pleading for mercy.
The last time I was with Sunil was when we attended the Wayang Wong (dance-opera) Festival in Yogyakarta in June, 2019.
He was excited about performances and noted the similarities and connection with many masked folk dance-theatre traditions of India.
Typically, he remarked in passing, "I wonder whatever happened to the dancing Prince TejoKusumo, whom Mrinalini Sarabhai had mentioned in her book?"
On the last day of the festival, a classic Sunil chance meeting occurred when an attractive woman Mbak Tejoyuwono introduced herself to Sunil as the great-granddaughter of Prince TejoKusumo.
In his earlier years, dancers used to dread his reviews. Towards the end years of his writing, Sunil mellowed as a critic of dance.
He preferred being the 'Krishna' amidst the bevy of 'gopis' where he was feted as the grand sire of Dance. His writing was kinder and he took care that there were no ill feelings.
"Dancers cannot accept criticism. You have to understand they have put so much effort and look at their work from a closed perspective. I've had too much flak from those I criticised that I no longer bother. I value my friendship with them much more than to upset them," he remarked.
That did not mean life with Sunil was without its drama. He discovered Facebook like a fish in water and was always in the midst of some controversy or other.
Sunil Kothari's irrepressible spirit is what we appreciate, and we shall miss him — the indefatigable lover of theatre who wants to be surrounded by the magical aura of dance wherever it may be.
Right now, Sunil is certainly up there enjoying the vision of dancing apsaras true to his own dictum "wherever there is dance, there shall be Sunil".