Musicians remember Ravi Shankar

Indian artistes and contemporaries of Sitar maestro Ravi Shankar mourned the demise of Grammy-winning composer, calling it a loss for the international music world.

Ravi Shankar, who helped introduce the sitar to the Western world through his collaborations with The Beatles, died in Southern California on Tuesday, his family said. He was 92.

Shankar, a three-time Grammy winner with legendary appearances at the 1967 Monterey Festival and at Woodstock, had been in fragile health for several years and last Thursday underwent surgery, his family said in a statement.
     
Shankar had suffered from upper respiratory and heart issues over the past year and underwent heart-valve replacement surgery last week at a hospital in San Diego, south of Los Angeles. The surgery was successful but he was unable to recover and passed away on Wednesday.

Some of the leading exponents of the classical Indian art forms mourned his death.

Indian classical singer and contemporary of Ravi Shankar, Pandit Chhannulal Mishra said it was an irreplaceable loss for the world of music.

“The demise of Ravi Shankar had created a void in the sitar industry. Nobody can replace him. Though there are many good sitarists, Ravi Shankar was a class apart. I would pray to god that may his soul rest in peace,” said Mishra in northern Varanasi city, the hometown of Ravi Shankar.

Saddened over the demise, legendary classical dancer, Pandit Birju Maharaj said Ravi Shankar was the one who introduced sitar to the international world.

“I am deeply saddened and in pain. Pain is a small word, he was an undying personality. He was the kind of a  person, who made the world familiar with sitar, raag and taal (classical Indian musical notations). He used to get completely engrossed while playing sitar and the glimpse of the notations were reflected on his face,” said Pandit Birju Maharaj in New Delhi.

Shankar had introduced sitar to the Western world through his collaborations with The Beatles.

Ravi Shankar had also been nominated for the 2013 Grammys for his album “The Living Room Sessions Part 1” and was pitted against his daughter Anoushka in the same category.

He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, in 1999.

Indian musician Anup Jalota said Ravi Shankar is the only deserving person who could be given the title of ‘godfatherof classical music’ after Allauddin Khan.

“The demise of Pandit Ravi Shankar is a loss to the Indian and international music world. Allauddin Khan has been called the godfather of classical music. After him it is only Pandit Ravi Shankar who can be given this title. He made people aware about the Indian classical musk and its reach,” said Jalota in India’s entertainment capital, Mumbai.

His influence in classical music, including on composer Philip Glass, was just as large. His work with Menuhin on their  “West Meets East” albums in the 1960s and 1970s earned them a Grammy, and he wrote concertos for sitar and orchestra for both the London Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic.

Shankar served as a member of the upper chamber of the Parliament of India, from 1986 to 1992, after being nominated by then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

He lived in both India and the United States. He is also survived by his daughter, Grammy-winning singer Norah Jones, three grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Veteran actress and politician, Jaya Bachchan said it was a time of sorrow and sadness.
     
“He was one of the first artists who was internationally known and he had made our country proud globally. It’s a great loss; it’s a shock to me. Recently,  Amitabh ji (Amitabh Bachchan) had spoken to him. It is very sad,” said Bachchan in New Delhi.

Shankar performed his last concert with his daughter Anoushka Shankar on Nov. 4 in Long Beach, California.

Daughter-in-law of Ravi Shankar’s brother, Tanusree Shankar said with his death, the young generation is void of listening to a stalwart.

“It’s not only a personal or a family loss, it’s a huge loss for all the artists’ family, it’s a huge loss for classical musicians and young generations, who I am afraid are going to be further deprived of listening to a stalwart. He was like a god of music,” said Tanusree Shankar in eastern Kolkata city.

Shankar is credited with popularizing Indian music through his work with violinist Yehudi Menuhin and The Beatles in the late 1960s, inspiring George Harrison to learn the sitar and the British band to record songs like “Norwegian Wood” (1965) and “Within You, Without You” (1967).   

His appeared at the Monterey and Woodstock pop festivals in the late 1960s, and the 1972 Concert for Bangladesh, becoming one of the first Indian musicians to become a household name in the West.

A man of many talents, he also wrote the Oscar-nominated score for 1982 film “Gandhi,” several books, and mounted theatrical productions.    

Born Robindra Shankar in 1920 in India’s holiest city, Varanasi, he spent his first few years in relative poverty before his eldest brother took the family to Paris.

For about eight years, Shankar danced in his brother’s Indian classical and folk dance troupe, which toured the world. But by the late 1930s he had turned his back on show business to learn the sitar and other classical Indian instruments.

Shankar earned multiple honors in his long career, including an Order of the British Empire (OBE) from Britain’s Queen Elizabeth for services to music, the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, and the FrenchLegion d’Honneur.
        

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today