Menu

Ravi Shankar

Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar Image: Wikimedia Commons. Markgoff2972 / CC BY-SA 4.0

Overview

Pandit Ravi Shankar (born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury; 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitarist and composer who is widely regarded as the foremost exponent of Indian classical music on the world stage during the second half of the twentieth century. Through decades of performance, teaching and collaboration, he played a central role in introducing the sitar and the traditions of Hindustani classical music to audiences in Europe and the Americas, and influenced generations of musicians both in India and abroad.

Key facts

Full name Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury (also spelled Ravindra Shankar Chowdhury)
Born 7 April 1920
Died 11 December 2012
Nationality Indian
Occupation Sitarist, composer
Genre Hindustani classical music
Teacher (guru) Allauddin Khan
Notable family Brother: Uday Shankar; daughters: Norah Jones, Anoushka Shankar
Highest honour Bharat Ratna (1999)
Rajya Sabha tenure 1986–1992 (nominated member)

Background and early life

Shankar was born into a Bengali family in India. He spent his youth as a dancer, touring India and Europe with the dance troupe led by his elder brother, the choreographer Uday Shankar. At the age of 18, he gave up dancing to commit himself fully to music, beginning a seven-year period of rigorous study of the sitar under the court musician Allauddin Khan.

Career

Early career in India

After completing his studies in 1944, Shankar began working as a composer. He scored the music for Satyajit Ray's celebrated Apu Trilogy, which brought him recognition as a film composer. From 1949 to 1956, he served as music director of All India Radio, New Delhi.

International career

In 1956, Shankar began touring Europe and America with performances of Indian classical music. Through the 1960s, he expanded its reach via teaching, concert tours, and notable collaborations, particularly with the violinist Yehudi Menuhin and with Beatles guitarist George Harrison. His influence on Harrison was instrumental in popularising the use of Indian instruments in Western pop music in the latter half of the 1960s.

Later work

During the 1970s and 1980s, Shankar engaged more directly with Western traditions, composing works for sitar and orchestra and touring extensively across the world. He continued to perform until the end of his life.

Public service

From 1986 to 1992, Shankar served as a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India.

Awards and recognition

  • Bharat Ratna (1999) — India's highest civilian honour.
  • Polar Music Prize.
  • Four Grammy Awards, including the Album of the Year for The Concert for Bangladesh in 1973.
  • Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score for Gandhi (1982).

Family

Shankar was the father of the American singer Norah Jones and the British-American musician and sitar player Anoushka Shankar.

Significance

Ravi Shankar is recognised as a sitar virtuoso whose career bridged Indian classical traditions and Western audiences. Through his association with Menuhin and Harrison, his orchestral compositions, and his sustained presence on global concert stages, he became the principal ambassador of Hindustani classical music abroad, while remaining a major figure within India through his work as composer, music director, and parliamentarian.

References