Ravi Shankar
Who was Ravi Shankar?
Indian sitar player (1920–2012)
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Ravi Shankar (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Pandit Ravi Shankar (born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitarist, composer, and cultural ambassador who became the leading figure in bringing Indian classical music to the Western world. Born in Varanasi to a Bengali family, Shankar spent his early years touring India and Europe as a dancer in his brother Uday Shankar's dance troupe. At 18, he gave up dance to focus on music, studying the sitar under the famous musician Allauddin Khan for seven years until 1944.
After completing his music training, Shankar became a composer and cultural administrator in India. He was music director of All India Radio, New Delhi, from 1949 to 1956, where he created innovative programs that helped preserve and promote Indian classical music. During this time, he also composed scores for films, most notably for Satyajit Ray's celebrated Apu Trilogy, showing his skill in different music styles.
Shankar's international career took off in 1956 when he began touring Europe and America. His collaborations with Western musicians, particularly violinist Yehudi Menuhin and later Beatles guitarist George Harrison, introduced Indian classical music to large audiences in the 1960s. His influence on Harrison led to the use of Indian instruments like the sitar in Western popular music, fundamentally changing the sound of the era. Shankar wrote compositions for sitar and orchestra, blending Eastern and Western music traditions.
Beyond his music career, Shankar was a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of India's Parliament, from 1986 to 1992, highlighting his role as a cultural leader. He was married to sitarist Annapurna Devi and was the father of Grammy-winning singer Norah Jones and sitarist Anoushka Shankar. Throughout his life, he received many honors including India's highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, in 1999, four Grammy Awards, and recognition through international awards like the Polar Music Prize. He continued performing until he passed away in San Diego on 11 December 2012, leaving behind a changed global perspective on Indian classical music.
Before Fame
Ravi Shankar's rise to musical fame took an unusual route through dance rather than music. Born into a Bengali family in Varanasi in 1920, he spent his early years touring with his older brother Uday Shankar's internationally known dance company. This early experience of performing across India and Europe gave him a unique view on art and cultural exchange.
At 18, Shankar decided to give up a promising dance career to study the sitar under Allauddin Khan. Khan, a court musician skilled in many instruments, gave Shankar rigorous traditional training in the guru-shishya system. This seven-year apprenticeship, marked by intense discipline and devotion to the craft, transformed Shankar from a dancer into a master musician. It also set the stage for his later innovations in bringing Indian classical music to audiences worldwide.
Key Achievements
- First Indian musician to achieve widespread recognition in Western classical and popular music circles
- Composed iconic film scores for Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy
- Received India's highest civilian honor, the Bharat Ratna, in 1999
- Won four Grammy Awards including Album of the Year for The Concert for Bangladesh in 1973
- Served as nominated member of Rajya Sabha from 1986 to 1992
Did You Know?
- 01.He was originally named Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury after the poet Rabindranath Tagore
- 02.His daughter Norah Jones was born Geetali Norah Jones Shankar and won five Grammy Awards in 2003
- 03.He performed at the 1969 Woodstock Festival but was critical of the audience's inattentiveness due to drug use
- 04.He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score for the 1982 film Gandhi
- 05.His wife Annapurna Devi was also his guru's daughter and an accomplished sitarist who largely withdrew from public performance after their marriage
Family & Personal Life
Awards & Honors
| Award | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres | — | — |
| Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire | — | — |
| Ramon Magsaysay Award | 1992 | — |
| Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award | 2013 | — |
| Banga Bibhushan | — | — |
| Praemium Imperiale | 1997 | — |
| James Parks Morton Interfaith Award | — | — |
| Sangeet Natak Akademi Award | 1962 | — |
| Padma Bhushan | 1967 | — |
| Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance | 1967 | — |
| Grammy Award for Album of the Year | 1972 | — |
| Polar Music Prize | 1998 | — |
| Bharat Ratna | 1999 | — |
| Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album | 2001 | — |
| Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album | — | — |
| Tagore Award | 2012 | — |
| Commander of the Legion of Honour | — | — |
| Padma Vibhushan | 1981 | — |
| Fellow of the Sangeet Natak Akademi | — | — |
| Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize | 1991 | — |
| honorary doctor of the University of Calcutta | — | — |