7th April is the birth anniversary of renowned Indian classical musician Pandit Ravi Shankar who is known to be the one behind popularizing Sitar in western culture. Pt Ravi Shankar spent his entire youth touring India and Europe for his Brother Uday Shankar’s dance troupe. He gave up dancing at the age of 18 to learn sitar from court musician Allauddin Khan. Later he also worked as a music composer and music director.
The man who popularized Indian classical music across the world made remarkable achievements throughout his career. Here are some of the lesser-known facts about the musician:
• Pandit Ravi Shankar was born on April 7, 1920, in Varanasi. He lived there until the age of 10 and then accompanied his elder brother to Paris.
• He joined his brother’s dance troupe named Compagnie de Danse Musique Hindous (Company of Hindu Dance Music) and spent his adolescence hearing the rhythms and watching the dances of his culture.
• Shankar met his guru and multi-instrumentalist Allauddin Khan in 1934 who later became his mentor and guide. Khan also became the soloist for Uday Shankar’s dance troupe.
• After completing his music training of ten years, Shankar worked for the Indian People’s Theatre Association until 1946. He later went on to become the Music Director of New Delhi All India Radio Station.
• Throughout his career, Shankar won many accolades including 14 honorary degrees, 3 Grammy Awards, and a membership to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
• Pt Ravi Shankar died on December 11, 2012, in San Diego when he was 92 years old.
• He was survived by his two daughters namely Anoushka Shankar, a renowned Sitar player and Norah Jones, Grammy Award-winning singer, and songwriter.
