India’s sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar passes away
Wednesday, December 12th, 2012 9:45:34 by Web Desk
Indian sitar maestro, Pandit Ravi Shankar on Wednesday passed away in California, says Indian media reports.
The maestro, who was 92, was admitted to the Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla last Thursday after he complained of breathing difficulties. For nearly three decades, ever since his first tour of the United States and Europe in the 1956-57 season, Ravi Shankar has served as India’s unofficial ambassador for music.
According to an official statement issued by Teh Ravi Shankar Foundation, the maestro
suffered from upper-respiratory and heart issues over the past year and underwent heart-valve replacement surgery. Though the surgery was successful, recovery proved too difficult for the 92-year-old musician.
The sitar exponent, perhaps could be called India`s musical ambassador and was responsible for making Indian classical music popular in the West. He had collaborated with several international artists including George Harrison of ‘The Beatles’ which had garnered him fame and adulation all over the world.
Last week, the maestro had wished to speak to superstar Amitabh Bachchan. The actor on his blog had written, “Strangely, and for the first time, I had a call from the house of the great sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar. His wife Sukanya ji wanted to talk to me to get me to talk to Ravi Shankar ji, because he had expressed a desire to speak with me. He has been unwell she informed me and was going in for a surgery on Thursday. They are in California, USA.”
The legendary musician and his musician daughter Anoushka had been nominated for the 2013 Grammy awards in the world music category.
The music doyen was awarded India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna in 1999. He also received three Grammy Awards.
Panditji is survived by his wife Sukanya and musician daughters, sitar player Anushka Shankar, singer Norah Jones, 3 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren.
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