Pandit Ravi Shankar is an Indian and world’s most renowned musician, composer and a sitarist.  He is described as the most known contemporary Indian musician who has influenced and mesmerized people all over the world with his spell-bound musical concerts and performances.  He is the person who introduced the Indian classical music to the Western world.  Besides music and composing he is also a writer, teacher and a performer.  Truly, Pt. Ravi Shankar is considered to be the most celebrated musical representative from India and is a major connect for the people over the entire world via Indian Classical music.

EARLY & PERSONAL LIFE:
Ravi Shankar was born as Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury to Shyam Shankar and Hemangini Devi to a Brahmin family of Bengalis as the youngest of seven brothers on 7 April 1920 in Varanasi, (now in Uttar Pradesh).  Pt. Ravi Shankar has grown by his mother and until he is eight years old he did not see or meet his father who was a lawyer at London.  One of his elder brother Uday Shankar is another world’s renowned Indian Classical Dancer.  Pt. Ravi Shankar at the age of 10, with his brother Uday used to travel extensively to the European countries especially to Paris as a member of Uday’s dance troupe and also used to play the musical instruments.   

In 1941, when Pt. Ravi Shankar was at the age of 21, he got married to a 14 year girl Annapurna Devi who is the daughter of his musical guru Allauddin Khan.  In 1942, the couple was blessed with a baby boy who was named Shubhendra Shankar.  This marriage did not last long and the couple was separated in the mid 1940s.  After they got separated Pt. Ravi Shankar had a relationship with Kamala Shastri (a dancer) in the late 1940s.  Later in the late 1970’s on his tour to USA, he met Sue Jones (a New York concert producer) and they both had an affair which led to the birth of Norah Jones in 1979.  During the same 1970’s, Pt. Ravi Shankar was also in a relationship with Sukanya Rajan and in 1981, the couple gave birth to Anoushka Shankar.  Until 1981, Ravi Shankar lived with Kamala Shastri and once the couple got separated he lived with Sue Jones until 1986.  In 1989, he got married to Sukanya Rajan and is currently living with her in Encinitas, California.  His son Shubhendra also known as “Shubho” often accompanied his father Pt. Ravi Shankar on tours and used to play Sitar and Surbahar with his father until his death in 1992.  Both the daughters of Pt. Ravi Shankar, Norah Jones and Anoushka Shankar were successful musicians where the former has won eight Grammy Awards in 2003 and the later was nominated for a Grammy Award for the Best World Music Album in 2003. 

CAREER & HIGHLIGHTS:
Pt. Ravi Shankar, while traveling and accompanying his Brother Uday Shankar’s dance troupe has given up his dancing career in 1938 and decided to move Maihar to study and train in the Indian classical music under the guidance of Allauddin Khan.  He got trained on Sitar and Surbahar by his guru and he learned ragas and the musical styles dhrupad, dhamar and khyal and also learned the basics of the instruments like rudra veena, rubab and sursingar.  All this training went until 1944 and later in 1945 – 46 he composed music on ballets for Indian People's Theatre Association (Mumbai). 

At the age of 25, Pt. Ravi Shankar has recomposed the music to Mohd. Iqbal’s “Sare Jahan Se Achcha”.  From 1949 – 1956, he worked as a Music Director for AIR (All India Radio) at New Delhi and also recorded music for HMV India.  In the mid 1950’s he composed the music for “Apu Trilogy” which is directed by Satyajit Ray has become internationally acclaimed.  In the late 1950’s he started touring foreign countries to perform the South Indian Carnatic music and the Indian Classical music and toured the countries like UK, USA and Germany.  In 1958, he also participated in the 10th Anniversary Celebrations of UNESCO and United Nations music festival at Paris.  In 1962, Pt. Ravi Shankar has established the Kinnara School of Music in Mumbai.  Since 1962, he was accompanied by Alla Rakha in his musical troupe to play tabla. 

In 1966, George Harrison (a lead guitarist of The Beatles) met Ravi Shankar at London and visited India for a short trip of six weeks to learn sitar under the guidance of Ravi Shankar.  In 1967, he performed at the Monterey Pop Festival and won the Grammy Award for the Best Chamber Music Performance for West Meets East with Yehudi Menuhin.  In May 1967, Shankar opened the Western Branch of the Kinnara School of Music in California.  In 1971, George Harrison has organized a charity Concert for Bangladesh and invited Shankar to participate in the event.  Later in the 1970s this concert album has become one of the best selling recordings and Shankar won his second Grammy Award.  Since then and till late 1990s, Pt. Ravi Shankar is very busy in performing his concerts and there are around 25 – 40 concerts each year.

NOTABLE AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS:
•  1957 – Silver Bear Extraordinary Prize of the Jury at Berlin International Film Festival
•  1962 – Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar
•  1967 – Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance
•  1967 – was awarded “Padma Bhushan” by the Government of India
•  1975 – Music award of the UNESCO International Music Council
•  1981 – was awarded “Padma Vibhushan” by the Government of India
•  1987-88 – received the Kalidas Samman from the Government of Madhya Pradesh
•  1991 – was awarded the Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize
•  1992 – was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award
•  1997 – received the Praemium Imperiale for music from the Japan Art Association
•  1998 – Polar Music Prize
•  1999 – was awarded “Bharat Ratna” by the President and Government of India
•  2001 – he was made the Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Elizabeth II for his "services to music"