Noted Kuchipudi performer and Padma Shri awardee Sobha Naidu passes away aged 64

Renowned Kuchipudi exponent Sobha Naidu, a recipient of Padma Shri and numerous other awards, passed away in Hyderabad on Wednesday. Naidu, 64, was undergoing treatment at a private hospital and the end came around 01.00 am on Wednesday, sources close to her said. Sobha Naidu’s major achievements include choreography and presentation of Ballets Vipranarayana, Kalyana Srinivasam and many others in which she was the main protagonist and donned various roles like Satyabhama, Devadevaki, Padmavathi, Mohini, Sai Baba, and Goddess Parvati which won her great appreciation. Naidu was born in 1956 in Anakapalle in Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam district. She received training in Kuchipudi under Vempati Chinna Satyam in Chennai. In 1980, she established the Srinivasa Kuchipudi Art Academy in Hyderabad, where she as a guru, trained a number of students from India and abroad. Her performances have also won accolades in foreign countries. She has presented a series of performances at different venues in the US and also performed in countries, including the UK. Besides the Padma Shri in 2001, she has also been conferred with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Kuchipudi in 1991, and several other awards, including from the Andhra Pradesh government and several reputed organisations. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao mourned the death of Sobha Naidu and recalled that she was an outstanding exponent of Kuchipudi, known for the portrayal of Satyabhama and Padmavathi. He conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family, an official release said. (With inputs from The Press Trust of India)