Pandit Ravi Shankar, the legendary sitar player and composerwas India’s most esteemed musical ambassador and a singular phenomenon in theclassical music worlds of East and West. The performer, composer, teacher andwriter passed away in San Diego on December 11.
Born in Varanasi, Shankar spenthis youth touring India as well as Europe as a part of his brother Uday’s dancegroup. In 1938, he gave up dancing to study sitar playing under courtmusician Allauddin Khan. In 1956, he began to tour Europe and America,playing Indian classical music. He increased the genres popularitythere in the 1960s through teaching, performance, his association withviolinist Yehudi Menuhin and rock artist GeorgeHarrison of The Beatles. Shankar engaged Western music by writingconcerti for sitar and orchestra and toured the world in the 1970sand 1980s. His recording "Tana Mana", released in 1987, brought Shankarinto world music’s ‘new age’ with its unique method of combining traditionalinstruments alongside electronics.
In the year 1999, Shankar was awardedIndia's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, and went on to receivethree Grammy Awards. His performances continued in the 2000s, often alongsidehis daughter Anoushka. The love and respect he commanded, both in India aswell as the West, was unique in the annals of music history.
