Ravi Shankar @100: India’s Global Musician

THE SITAR

The sitar is a long-necked string instrument (tat vadya or chordophone). The origin of the sitar has been the subject of conjecture through the ages. While the 13th century poet and musician Amir Khusro is frequently credited with having invented the sitar, the instrument rose to prominence in the Delhi court of the early 18th century.

The sitar shares features with older Indian instruments as well as similar instruments of Persian origin.

TRAVELS WITH UDAY SHANKAR

In Europe of the 1930s, Uday Shankar forged a path as a choreographer and dancer of ballets inspired by Indian art and dance forms. Highly inventive, he devised movements and gestures, including a distinctive arm wave, evident in the 1948 film Kalpana. Uday Shankar convinced his brother Ravi Shankar and rest of his family to move to Paris to join his troupe.

Ravi Shankar toured Europe and America as a dancer and musician in Uday Shankar’s troupe.

A LASTING IMPACT

Ravi Shankar who, as an adolescent, came in contact with writers like Gertrude Stein and Henry Miller, heard musicians from Stravinsky to Louis Armstrong live, and met actors like Clarke Gable and Joan Crawford.

It was Uday Shankar who brought him in contact with his guru, Baba Allauddin Khan, when he invited the multi-instrumentalist maestro to join the troupe.

THE MAIHAR YEARS

At the age of 18, Ravi Shankar returned to India to become a disciple of Baba Allauddin Khan and dedicated himself to continuing the study of the sitar.

For seven years, he lived and learnt in the guru-shishya tradition. One of the most noteworthy teachers of the 20th century, Baba Allauddin Khan was a musician at the royal court of Maihar in modern-day Madhya Pradesh. While he was a master of the sarod, he played several instruments and assembled the Maihar band, an orchestra of Indian instruments played by orphans.

AN INDIAN ORCHESTRA

In 1948, aged only 28, Ravi Shankar joined the All India Radio in a prestigious directorial post. During this time he started the Vadya Vrinda, an orchestral ensemble.

Indian instruments are normally played with minimal accompaniment, and plenty of room for improvisation. Yet, Ravi Shankar drew inspiration from Western classical and jazz ensembles he had heard in Europe and America, as well as from the orchestra of Maihar, to create an Indian orchestral sound.

SOUNDTRACKS TO REMEMBER

Ravi Shankar composed music for Satyajit Ray’s landmark film Pather Panchali (1955), followed by Aparajito (1956) and Apur Sansar (1959). He recorded the entire film score of Pather Panchali in one long session. The film catapulted both Satyajit Ray and Ravi Shankar to iconic status.

Later in his career, Ravi Shankar created memorable soundtracks for several Hindi films such as Anuradha (1960), Meera (1979), and international films, such as Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi (1982) for which he received an Oscar nomination.

A MUSICAL FRIENDSHIP

Yehudi Menuhin, an American classical violinist played a key role in introducing Indian musicians to the West. His partnership with Ravi Shankar was proof that it was possible to bridge the musical cultures of the West and East. They were formally introduced at the behest of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1952, when Yehudi visited Delhi.

The meeting sparked a lifelong friendship that resulted in many collaborations, including EMI’s West Meets East trilogy in which Yehudi played Ravi’s compositions, based on Indian ragas and rhythms.

GEORGE, MY SON

This letter from Ravi Shankar to George Harrison stands testimony to the deep affection they shared.

MONTEREY POP

The sixties witnessed the rise of the counter-culture movement in the West, characterized by hippie culture, anti-war protests and rock n’ roll. Music festivals embodied the youthful spirit of the time.

In 1967, Ravi Shankar played at the Monterey Pop Festival in California. The emotional intensity of his four-hour long set, left many of them deeply moved.

WOODSTOCK FESTIVAL

Two years later, Ravi Shankar played ragas Puriya Dhanashri and Manj Khamaj at Woodstock. Nearly half a million people attended the three-day festival in New York state.

Although he became hugely popular within the counterculture, he was not enamoured by the 'hippie scene' prevalent at the festival.  

THE CONCERT FOR BANGLADESH

Held on August 1st, 1971 at New York’s Madison Square Garden, the Concert for Bangladesh was the first major rock concert to raise money and awareness for an international humanitarian crisis.

Conceived by Ravi Shankar and produced in partnership with George Harrison, the concert was held to aid war-torn Bangladesh. The concert featured George Harrison, Ravi Shankar and sarod maestro Ali Akbar Khan, as well as The Beatles’ Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, and others.

A QUEST TO COMPOSE

Ravi composed concertos and symphonies that blended the sounds of Indian instruments with western orchestral ensembles.

He composed three concertos, and a symphony, which have been presented by prestigious orchestras in the United States and Europe. His opera, Sukanya, premiered on the U.K. stage in 2017.

TAKING MUSICIANS PLACES

While Ravi Shankar created international audiences for Indian classical music, he also introduced other Indian performers to the world stage.

A proud cultural ambassador, he led delegations of musicians and dancers for the Government of India to Russia, Japan and other countries.

RAGA CREATOR

Raga (melodic framework) is the essence of Indian classical music. While Ravi Shankar excelled in the exploration of traditional ragas, he also introduced new ragas—a feat accomplished by only a handful of musicians.

Some of these, such as Vachaspati, were adapted for Hindustani music from existing Karnatik ragas. Others were clever combinations of two existing ragas (called 'jod', or joint ragas). He also created fresh ragas such as Bairagi, Parameshwari, as well as Kameshwari, Rageshwari and Gangeshwari.

AWARDS AND ACCOLADES

Ravi Shankar was bestowed with India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 1999. He won five GRAMMYs, including the one for Lifetime Achievement.

He was conferred with many other prestigious awards including the Magsaysay Award, Praemium Imperiale in Japan, the Polar Music Prize, and a knighthood from the United Kingdom. He was also a recipient of 17 honorary doctorates from around the world.

DAUGHTER AND DISCIPLE

Ravi Shankar’s daughter and protégé, Anoushka Shankar, is an internationally acclaimed sitar player and composer who carries forward his legacy.

She has recorded over 14 albums, both classical and crossover, and has won many accolades including seven GRAMMY award nominations. Anoushka has written a biography titled Bapi: The Love of My Life on her father and guru.

Ravi Shankar is also the father of the multi-Grammy award–winning singer, songwriter and pianist Norah Jones who collaborated with Anoushka Shankar on the album Traces of You (2013).

KEEPING THE LEGACY ALIVE

As the custodian of Ravi Shankar’s life works, his wife, Sukanya Shankar, is committed to ensuring that his works continue to resonate, uplift and inspire. Under her guidance, The Ravi Shankar Foundation, established in 1997, to promote the culture of Indian classical music continues to realize his vision.

INFLUENCE ON CONTEMPORARY MUSIC

Ravi Shankar influenced the music of some of the most iconic pop and rock bands of all time.

While The Beatles employed the sitar in the albums Revolver (1966) and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), other bands like The Kinks (“See My Friends”) and Yardbirds (“Heart Full of Soul”) emulated the sitar’s distinctive sound on the guitar. "The Byrds" led by David Crosby and Roger McGuin went further, adopting a raga-style approach on the guitar to create the genre of psychedelic rock. Jazz saxophonist John Coltrane, a student of Ravi Shankar, found in Indian music a way to transcend the harmonic boundaries of jazz.