BARGARH:Popular Dalkhai dancer Gurbari Mirdha died at her home in M Gandpali village under Birjepur police limits in the district on Thursday. She was 70.
Her death has left a void in the folk dance genre. Gurbari shot to limelight at the age of 16 when she made former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi dance to the beats of the Sambalpuri folk dance back in 1968.
During her lifetime, Gurbari had received numerous awards and citations from organisations like the Orissa Sangeet Natak Akademi, Adivasi Bhasa Sanskruti Academy, Mathkhai Utsav, Balangir and Lok Mahotsav, Sambalpur.
She had also staged numerous performances on Doordarsan. Despite the popularity, she lived in poverty with her husband, who worked as a daily wager.
Although she had been allotted a house under Indira Awas Yojana (IAY), she could never complete it. Bargarh MP Prabhas Singh, Rajya Sabha Member Prasanna Acharya and Bijepur MLA Subal Sahu paid their last respects to Gurbari at her house.