Ravi Shankar
For many who can recognize the name Ravi Shankar, it’s hard not to recollect it and not think of another famous name, George Harrison. If you’re thinking of the George Harrison of the Fab Four, the Beatles, then you would be correct. Ravi Shankar’s popularity in the west is in a big way, due to his close association to George Harrison. They were close friends. Ravi Shankar was responsible for teaching George how to play the sitar among other things. In his own way, you could say that Ravi Shankar influenced the music of that beloved band. In the Indian subcontinent, Ravi Shankar is acknowledged as one of the best musicians of his time. He is well respected player and highly regarded composer as well. He has enjoyed continuous popularity for over forty years. This success however, was hard won. Ravi had to go through many years of struggle and hard stop snoring work. Through his efforts, he has taken classical Indian music to new heights with his contributions as a performer, composer, and teacher. Ravi Shankar was born into a Bengali Brahmin on the 7th of April in 1920 in Benares of North India. Originally, his family hailed from Kalia, which now part of Bangladesh. He lost his mother when he was very young; so, this was another deprivation he had to endure as a youngster. Music has always been a part of his metal detectors life, even when he was growing up. It was something his family valued and made sure they were exposed to. In 1930, his family moved to Paris. This led to Ravi Shankar’s opportunity to come into contact with western music. They stayed there for eight years and then returned to India after. In 1938, he started his apprenticeship with the most famous sitar player of all time, Ustad (Master) Allaudin Khan. In the Indian subcontinent, the tradition of master and deciple in quartz crystal singing bowls music is perhaps, as old as the history of music itself. Ravi Shankar was the star pupil of Ustad Khan; and after finishing his apprenticeship, he began his own career as a professional musician. He started with the predictable struggles. He worked in movies and radio to earn a living. Little by little, he began to gain a reputation for himself and his music became popular. Even though he had opportunities to travel to the west, it was not until his association with the Beatle superstar, George Harrison, that he got wide gas tankless water heater recognition from the western audience. Ravi Shankar’s friendship with George Harrison turned out to be a lifelong one; and it was mutually beneficial. George would learn sitar from him and beyond that, a new vision of life, the Indian way; one which he will continue to live until his death. Ravi, on the other hand, got a true and dedicated friend in George. George acted selflessly and would do all he could to widen Ravi’s reach within the western audience. It was not just their personal lives that have been touched, in fact. Their music were greatly influenced as well. George ended up creating a fusion between western and Indian music and musical instruments. This made him quite the unique musician. Meanwhile, Ravi, having been influenced by George, could do one great thing. Before him, no Indian music could have attracted the western audience in such a large scale because it was deemed too traditional sounding. He realized that he needed to create music that will break with tradition, Indian music that can be appreciated by people even outside the Indian heritage and culture. It was a successful gambit. Ravi Shankar has won many awards and accolades including several Grammys. He is also a recipient of several honorary doctorate degrees.