Uday Shankar - Early Life and Education

Early Life and Education

Born Uday Shankar Chowdhury, in Udaipur, Rajasthan, to a Bengali family with origins in Narail (present Bangladesh). His father Shyam Shankar Chowdhury, a noted barrister, was employed with the Maharaja of Jhalawar in Rajasthan at the time of his eldest son's birth, while his mother Hemangini Devi, descended from a Bengali zamindari family. His father was conferred the title, 'Harchowdhury' by the Nawabs, but he preferred to use surname 'Chowdhury' minus 'Har.' His younger brothers were Rajendra Shankar, Debendra Shankar, Bhupendra Shankar and Ravi Shankar, born in 1920, out of them Bhupendra died young in 1926

His father was a Sanskrit scholar, graduated with honours from the Calcutta University and later studied at the Oxford University, where he became a Doctor of Philosophy. Since his father moved a lot on the account of his work, the family spent much time in Uday's maternal uncle's house at Nasratpur with his mother and brothers. Uday's studies also took place at various places including Nasratpur, Gazipur, Varanasi, and Jhalawar. At his Gazipur school, he learnt music and photography, from Ambika Charan Mukhopaddhay, his Drawing and Crafts teacher.

In 1918, at the age of eighteen, he was sent to Mumbai, to train at the J. J. School of Art and then to Gandharva Mahavidyalaya. By now, Shyam Shankar had resigned his post in Jhalawar and moved to London, here he married an English woman and practiced law, before becoming an amateur impresario, introducing Indian dance and music to Britain. Subsequently, Uday joined his father in London, and on 23 August 1920, joined the Royal College of Art, London to study paintings under Sir William Rothenstein. Here he danced at a few charity performances that his father had organized in London, and one such occasion, noted Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova happened to be present, this was to have lasting impact on his career.