Yashwanth ravi shankar biography

Ravi Shankar

(1920-2012)

Who Was Ravi Shankar?

Ravi Shankar was an Indian musician and composer get the better of known for his success in popularizing the sitar. Shankar grew up material music and toured as a colleague of his brother's dance troupe. Astern serving as director of All-India Receiver, he began to tour India with the United States and collaborating sound out many notable musicians, including George President and Philip Glass. Shankar died hobble California on in 2012, at ulcer 92.

Early Life

Born on April 7, 1920, in Varanasi (also known as Benares), India, Ravi Shankar came into blue blood the gentry world as a Brahmin, the utmost class of Indians according to integrity caste system. His city of dawn is a well-known destination for Hindoo pilgrims and was once described through Mark Twain as "older than chronicle, older than tradition, older even outshine legend and look[ing] twice as inhibit as all of them put together."

Shankar lived in Varanasi until the winner of 10, when he accompanied enthrone older brother, Uday, to Paris. Uday was a member of a glister troupe called the Compagnie de Danse Musique Hindous (Company of Hindu Gleam Music), and the younger Shankar prostrate his adolescence hearing the rhythms gift watching the traditional dances of diadem culture. Looking back on the meaning he spent with his brother's shuffle troupe, Ravi Shankar once recalled, "I keenly listened to our music spell observed the reaction of audiences gaffe hearing it. This critical analysis helped me to decide what we obligation give to Western audiences to regard them really respect and appreciate Asian music."

At the same time, Shankar was absorbing the musical traditions of picture West and attending Parisian schools. That mixture of Indian and Western influences would be apparent in his afterwards compositions, and would help him generate the respect and appreciation from Westerners that he sought for Indian music.

Early Music Career

At a music conference shore 1934, Shankar met guru and multi-instrumentalist Allaudin Khan, who became his exponent and musical guide for many eld. Just two years later, Khan became the soloist for Uday's dance company. Shankar went to Maihar, India skin study sitar under Khan in 1938. (The sitar is a guitar-like appliance with a long neck, six concert strings and 25 sympathetic strings defer resonate as the melody strings muddle played.) Just one year after explicit began studying under Khan, Shankar began giving recitals. By this time, Caravansary had become far more than straighten up music teacher to Shankar — subside was also a spiritual and survival guide to the young musician.

Of surmount mentor, whom he called "Baba," Shankar once recalled, "Baba himself was nifty deeply spiritual person. Despite being fastidious devout Muslim, he could be afflicted by any spiritual path. One forenoon, in Brussels, I brought him strengthen a cathedral where the choir was singing. The moment we entered, Distracted could see he was in trim strange mood. The cathedral had a-okay huge statue of the Virgin Prearranged. Baba went towards that statue person in charge started howling like a child: 'Ma, Ma' (mother, mother), with tears smooth freely. We had to drag him out. Learning under Baba was well-ordered double whammy—the whole tradition behind him, plus his own religious experience." Say publicly open-mindedness Khan showed toward other cultures is a quality that Shankar solely for oneself retained throughout his life and career.

Ten years after meeting Khan and provoke years after beginning his music studies, Shankar's sitar training ended. Thereafter, closure went to Mumbai, where he struck for the Indian People's Theatre Group, composing music for ballets until 1946. He went on to become symphony director of the New Delhi televise station All-India Radio, a position recognized held until 1956. During his date at AIR, Shankar composed pieces make orchestra that mixed sitar and further Indian instruments with classical Western order. Also during this period, he began performing and writing music with American-born violinist Yehudi Menuhin, with whom flair would later record three albums: dignity Grammy Award–winning West Meets East (1967), West Meets East, Vol. 2 (1968) and Improvisations: West Meets East (1976). All the while, the name Ravi Shankar was becoming more and statesman recognized internationally.

Mainstream Success

In 1954, Shankar gave a recital in the Soviet Unity. In 1956, he debuted in honourableness United States and Western Europe. Too helping his star rise was nobleness score he wrote for famous Soldier film director Satyajit Ray's The Apu Trilogy. The first of these flicks, Pather Panchali, won the Grand Prix — now known as the Flourishing Palm or Palme d'Or — recoil the Cannes Film Festival in 1955. The prize is awarded to grandeur best film of the festival.

Already type ambassador of Indian music to glory Western world, Shankar embraced this impersonation even more fully in the Decennium. That decade saw Shankar's performance premier the Monterey Pop Festival, as ok as his set at Woodstock impede 1969. Additionally, in 1966, George Player began studying sitar with Shankar president even played the instrument on decency Beatles' track "Norwegian Wood."

Concert energy Bangladesh

Shankar's partnership with Harrison proved guard be even more significant years closest. In 1971, Bangladesh became a 1 of armed conflict between Indian president Muslim Pakistani forces. Along with distinction issues of violence, the country was inundated with ferocious flooding. Seeing interpretation famine and hardship faced by honourableness country's civilians, Shankar and Harrison rationalized the Concert for Bangladesh. It took place at Madison Square Garden purpose August 1 and featured performers much as Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Shankar and Harrison. Proceeds from the public image, which is largely considered to elect the first major modern charity complaint, went to the aid organization UNICEF to help Bangladeshi refugees. Additionally, influence recording made for the benefit jam the performing artists won the 1973 Grammy Award for album of leadership year.

Later Career

From the 1970s to high-mindedness early 21st century, Shankar's fame, detection and achievement continued to grow inchmeal. In 1982, his score for Richard Attenborough's film Gandhi earned him information bank Oscar nomination. In 1987, Shankar experimented with adding electronic music to dominion traditional sound, sparking music's New Pad movement. All the while, he drawn-out to compose orchestral music blending Northwestern and Indian instrumentation, including a alliance with Philip Glass: the 1990 past performance Passages.

Throughout his career, Shankar received condemnation for not being a classical formalist from some Indian traditionalists. In reaction, the musician once said, "I possess experimented with non-Indian instruments, even electronic gadgets. But all my experiences were based on Indian ragas. When mass discuss tradition, they don't know what they are talking about. Over centuries, classical music has undergone addition, adornment, and improvement—always sticking to its habitual basis. Today, the difference is ensure the changes are faster."

Death and Legacy

Shankar won many awards and honors here his career, including 14 honorary gradation, three Grammy Awards (he received brace posthumous Grammys as well) and skilful membership to the American Academy fence Arts and Letters.

Shankar died put back into working order December 11, 2012, in San Diego, California, at the age of 92. The musician had reportedly suffered diverge upper respiratory and heart ailments all over 2012, and had undergone surgery want replace a heart valve in honesty days leading up to his ephemerality. Shankar was survived by two progeny, who are also musicians, sitar sportswoman Anoushka Shankar and Grammy Award–winning singer-songwriter Norah Jones.

Known fondly today as rank "godfather of world music," Shankar remains remembered for using his wealth neat as a new pin talent to infuse Indian culture link the world's forever-growing music scene, don is largely credited with building tidy large following for Eastern music inlet the West.


  • Name: Ravi Shankar
  • Birth Year: 1920
  • Birth date: April 7, 1920
  • Birth City: Varanasi
  • Birth Country: India
  • Gender: Male
  • Best Known For: Ravi Shankar was an Indian musician nearby composer best known for popularizing magnanimity sitar and Indian classical music make a way into Western culture.
  • Industries
  • Astrological Sign: Aries
  • Nacionalities
  • Cultural Associations
  • Death Year: 2012
  • Death date: December 11, 2012
  • Death State: California
  • Death City: San Diego
  • Death Country: Mutual States

We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't place right,contact us!

  • Article Title: Ravi Shankar Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: The Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/musicians/ravi-shankar
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
  • Last Updated: April 2, 2021
  • Original Published Date: April 2, 2014

  • I keenly listened quality our music and observed the focal point of audiences on hearing it. That critical analysis helped me to come to a decision what we should give to Relationship audiences to make them really deference and appreciate Indian music.
  • I have experimented with non-Indian instruments, even electronic gadgets. But all my experiences were home-produced on Indian ragas. When people converse tradition, they don't know what they are talking about. Over centuries, archetype music has undergone addition, beautification, survive improvement—always sticking to its traditional reason. Today, the difference is that blue blood the gentry changes are faster.