Ravi Shankar
Sitar virtuoso who brought Indian classical music to the world
- Lived
- 92 yrs
- 1920 – 2012
- Works listed
- 5
- Film score, Album
- Honours
- 3
- Most recent 2013
- Profile views
- 1
- 0 followers
Pandit Ravi Shankar was a sitarist and composer who became the world’s best-known ambassador of Indian classical music. His work with George Harrison and Yehudi Menuhin and his performances at Monterey and Woodstock introduced the sitar to Western audiences. He received the Bharat Ratna in 1999.
Biography
Training
As a boy Ravi Shankar toured Europe as a dancer with his elder brother Uday Shankar’s troupe. In 1938 he gave this up to study sitar for seven years with Allauddin Khan of the Maihar gharana.
Composer and ambassador
He was music director of All India Radio in Delhi (1949–56) and composed the scores for Satyajit Ray’s Apu trilogy. From the late 1950s he toured Europe and the United States, recorded West Meets East with violinist Yehudi Menuhin, and became George Harrison’s sitar teacher in 1966. He played at the Monterey Pop Festival (1967) and Woodstock (1969), and with Harrison organised the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh.
Composer and innovator
Besides his classical performances, Ravi Shankar composed the tune for the popular patriotic setting of “Sare Jahan Se Achha”, wrote concertos for sitar and orchestra with the London Symphony Orchestra, and collaborated with Philip Glass on the album Passages (1990). He founded music schools in Bombay and Los Angeles and taught generations of students.
Honours
His score for Gandhi (1982) was nominated for an Academy Award. He won several Grammy Awards, received the Bharat Ratna in 1999 and was a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha. He died in San Diego on 11 December 2012. His daughters Anoushka Shankar and Norah Jones are both musicians.
Family and later years
His first wife was Annapurna Devi, daughter of his guru Allauddin Khan and herself a celebrated musician. His daughters Norah Jones and Anoushka Shankar both became Grammy-winning or nominated musicians, and Anoushka performed with him for years. He continued to perform into his nineties; his last concert was in California a month before his death in December 2012.
Personal life
Shankar’s first marriage was to Annapurna Devi, daughter of his guru Allauddin Khan. He later married Sukanya Rajan. His daughters are the sitarist Anoushka Shankar and the singer Norah Jones. He died in San Diego in December 2012 at the age of 92.
Timeline
-
1920
Born in Benares (Varanasi), United Provinces
-
1938
Begins studying with Allauddin Khan
-
1949
Music director of All India Radio
-
1955
Scores Pather Panchali
-
1966
Begins teaching George Harrison
-
1967
Monterey Pop Festival
-
1969
Plays at Woodstock
-
1971
Concert for Bangladesh
With George Harrison.
-
1982
Academy Award nomination for Gandhi
-
1990
Passages with Philip Glass
-
1999
Bharat Ratna
-
2012
Dies in San Diego
-
2012
Final concert, Long Beach, California
November.
-
2012
Died, aged 92
Notable works
-
1955
Pather Panchali Film score
-
1967
West Meets East Album
With Yehudi Menuhin.
-
1971
The Concert for Bangladesh Live album
-
1971
Concerto for Sitar and Orchestra Composition
With the London Symphony Orchestra.
-
1990
Passages Album
With Philip Glass.
Awards and honours
-
Padma Vibhushan
1981
-
Bharat Ratna
1999
-
Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
2013 · Posthumous.
Did you know?
-
1
He composed the popular tune for “Sare Jahan Se Achha”.
-
2
George Harrison called him “the godfather of world music”.
-
3
He performed until a month before his death at 92.
Gallery
Frequently asked
Who is Ravi Shankar?
Pandit Ravi Shankar was a sitarist and composer who became the world’s best-known ambassador of Indian classical music. His work with George Harrison and Yehudi Menuhin and his performances at Monterey and Woodstock introduced the sitar to Western audiences. He received the Bharat Ratna in 1999.
When did Ravi Shankar die?
Ravi Shankar died on 11 December 2012 at the age of 92.
Where is Ravi Shankar from?
Ravi Shankar was born in Benares (Varanasi), United Provinces.
What is Ravi Shankar known for?
Ravi Shankar is best known for Sitar; collaborations with George Harrison and Yehudi Menuhin; the Concert for Bangladesh.
What awards has Ravi Shankar received?
Notable honours include Padma Vibhushan (1981), Bharat Ratna (1999), Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2013).
Who is Ravi Shankar married to?
Spouses: Annapurna Devi; Sukanya Rajan.
References
- Ravi Shankar — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
- Ravi Shankar — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
- Ravi Shankar — IMDb. IMDb. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
- Ravi Shankar — Spotify. Spotify. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
- Ravi Shankar — Hindi Wikipedia. Wikipedia (Hindi). Retrieved 26 October 2026.
- Official website. www.ravishankar.org. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
- Ravi Shankar (Q103774) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editors; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal
- First published 26 October 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Ravi Shankar.” TrackFame, last updated 26 October 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/ravi-shankar
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