Essay, Biography or Paragraph on “Ravi Shankar” complete biography for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

Ravi Shankar

India : Great Sitarist

As an exponent of Indian music and incomparable sitarist Pandit Ravi Shankar enjoys great popularity all over the world. He has made a very notable contribution- in popularising Indian music in foreign countries. All his performances given abroad, in USA, Europe and Australia, have proved a tremendous success. The Westerners have been enraptured by Ravi Shankar’s music and they also derive some spiritual satisfaction from it. Ravi Shankar is undoubtedly the greatest sitarist of the day. When he starts playing on the sitar, there is a sudden excitement all around.

Ravi Shankar is a follower of the Indian style of music and so aesthetically his musical performance rises much above the noisy Western music. Yet, he was the first Indian to compose music for foreign films. He wrote and conducted orchestral music for ballet set to Nehru’s Discovery of India. During 1969-74, he composed and conducted Festival of India music with top musicians of Europe and America. And during 1949-55, he served as the Director of Music, All India Radio. He also composed music for the welcome song of the IXth Asiad held at Delhi in 1982.

Ravi Shankar was born on 7th April, 1922. He received training in sitar from Ustad Alauddin Khan of Mahiar (1938-44). Later, he became fully devoted to sitar and grew to be a legendary sitar virtuoso. During his long career in music, spanning over several decades, Ravi Shankar has received a number of prestigious awards and honours, both national and international. To mention some important ones: International Music Vensco Award, Silver Bear and Venice Festival Award. In 1976, he was elected a Fellow of the Sangeet Natak Academy and in 1962 and 1980 was the recepient of Presidential Awards. Some universities in India as well as abroad have conferred doctorates on him. The government of ‘ India honoured him by nominating him to Rajya Sabha in 1986. For popularising the Indian music he also opened Kiunara school of music in Los Angeles (USA) in 1967.