Shankar, Ravi (1920-2012), a musician from India, became well known throughout the world for his inspired playing of the sitar . A sitar is an Indian stringed instrument with a very long neck. Shankar was also known for his compositions, including concertos for sitar and orchestra. He is often referred to in India as Pandit Ravi Shankar. Pandit is a title that means respected scholar.
Shankar was born on April 7, 1920, in Benares (now called Varanasi ), India. His full name in Bengali is Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury. He began his career as a dancer and accompanist in the dance troupe of his brother Uday. From the age of 18, Ravi Shankar spent seven years mastering the sitar. He served as music director of All-India Radio from 1948 to 1956. He composed the film scores for the Indian film director Satyajit Ray’s Apu trilogy. The three films were made between 1955 and 1959. Shankar also composed scores for a few Western films, notably Charly (1968) and Gandhi (1982).
In 1956, Shankar began a long career as a touring musician and performed in many countries. In 1962, he founded the Kinnara School of Music in Bombay (now Mumbai ), his adopted home.
During the 1960’s, Shankar helped stimulate interest in Indian music abroad. George Harrison , a member of the Beatles rock group, became one of his best-known pupils. Shankar gained fame in the United States after his performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in California in 1967. In 1969, he took part in Woodstock , a famous rock concert that took place in New York. In the same year, an autobiography, My Music, My Life, was published. The Autobiography of Ravi Shankar was published in 1995. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2001.
Shankar’s daughter Norah Jones became a successful singer, pianist, and songwriter in the United States. She won six major Grammy Awards at the 2003 ceremonies, including best new artist of 2002. Another daughter, Anoushka Shankar, has won international acclaim as a performer on the sitar. Ravi Shankar died on Dec. 11, 2012.
