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Pandit Ravi Shankar, who was recently felicitated for his lifetime contribution to Indian classical music, says music had been "his life" for the last 75 years. The legend was feted by diplomats, well-wishers and admirers, who gathered to celebrate the musician’s birth year and share glimpses of his nine-decade-old life. Described as the doyen of Indian string instrumentalists, he is still grounded in music at 90. "Music is the soul of India, and it has been my life as well," the maestro said in a message read out at a glittering function, "Ravi Shankar, 90 not out", hosted by the Indo-American Friendship Association and Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) at the Islamic Cultural Centre in New Delhi. "As a young Indian in the 1950s it was a matter of pride to see somebody like Panditji perform on the world stage and reach out across to those like Yehudi Menuhin and the Beatles," said Maharaj Gaj Singh II of Jodhpur. "We owe his contribution to the world of music," adds Singh. He was joined by others like German ambassador Thomas Matussek, French ambassador Jerome Bonnafont, ICCR president Karan Singh, former diplomat Lalit Mansingh and author Gurcharan Das, dancers Pandit Birju Maharaj and Sonal Mansingh at the event chaired by Abid Hussain, former envoy to the US. "I deeply fell in love with the US from my first visit there in 1932 with dada (older brother) Uday Shankar. Though my first home is in New Delhi and I am a citizen of India, my other home is in the Encinitas near San Diego, California," he said in his message. A Kolkatan and a thorough Bengali at heart, Panditji, as he is fondly called, was born in Varanasi April 7, 1920. "It is where my heart and soul lies for I began my artistic career in the city — the first nine years of my creative life as part of Uday Shankar’s ballet troupe and then as a musician. My brother taught me showmanship, presentation and stage etiquette. It is also in Kolkata that I met my mentor, classical music exponent, Baba Allaudin Khan, when he joined the troupe in 1935 and we toured Europe. I learnt music from him," reminisces Pandit Ravi Shankar. Uday Shankar disbanded his troupe in 1938. And Ravi Shankar soon parted ways with his brother to pursue music. "I left dada and went to learn music from Baba Allaudin in Maihar in Madhya Pradesh. I stayed with him for seven-and-a-half years. I played on my own for the first time in 1939 at the Allahabad Music Conference and subsequently embarked on an independent musical career," he adds. After almost seven years of rigorous study in the ancient gurukul system, Ravi Shankar started composing film music, founded the Indian National Orchestra and worked as a music director for All India Radio. In the 1950s and 1960s, he taught and performed sitar concerts in the largest halls all over Europe and the US, popularising ragas and other elements of Indian classical music. "There was no language barrier as I was very fluent in English and also in French, and I could explain our music and the various intricacies of ragas and talas," adds Ravi Shankar. His performances in Europe and the US drew packed halls, giving Indian music an international face. He collaborated with violinist Yehudi Menuhin and George Harrison, and was one of the pioneers to write sitar music in Indian notations for western concertos. "George Harrison became my student in the mid-sixties, which certainly opened the biggest door in all the continents for me. George was one whom I loved very much as he was so deeply attracted to our music and the Vedic culture and traditions of India. The young generation all over the world became my fans...but I was strongly critical about their wrong approach to our music and religion — through drugs and the way of life," Panditji adds. "The passion of Panditji was an inspiration for everyone. It has a delight to see how the expression of every note was glimpsed in his eyes," says Kathak dancer Birju Maharaj, who came to Delhi in 1953 at the age of 14 as a teacher at the Sangeet Bharati, and was a frequent visitor to Ravi Shankar’s house. He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 1986 and was conferred India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, in 1999. He also won three Grammy awards and was given the Ramon Magsaysay award in 1992. Ravi Shankar has created as many as 30 ragas, says Raga Mala, a biography documenting his musical journey. "Some of them are Nat Bhairav, Ahir Lalit, Yaman Manjh, Gunji Kanhara, Purvi Kalyan, Kameshwari and several more," the book says. Ravi Shankar says he "is completely in sync with the changing face of classical music". To preserve his music and the legacy of the Indian sitar for posterity, the maestro has set up the Ravi Shankar Institute of Music and Performing Arts (RIMPA) to carry on innovation, research and fusion. The institute serves as a platform to promote younger artistes. Initially housed in his home in Varanasi, the non-profit organisation moved to Chanakyapuri in New Delhi, when the maestro shifted base to the capital. On April 7 this year, the centre celebrated his 90th birthday with an evening "of film and music" dedicated to him. A documentary on Ravi Shankar, "Between Two Worlds", was screened as part of the tribute. — Agencies
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