Farewell, Pandit Ravi Shankar
Sitar maestro Ravi Shankar has passed away at age 92. Described by George Harrison as "the godfather of world music", he is credited with popularizing classical Indian music in the western world. I first heard him on my parents' LP "East Meets West", playing with violin maestro Yehudi Menuhin. But it was his meeting with the Beatles guitarist George Harrison in 1966 that catapulted him to international fame. He performed in legendary concerts like Woodstock and was the organizer, with George Harrison, for the Concert for Bangladesh. This concert, with the album and film, raised millions of dollars for UNICEF and was the inspiration for later rock benefits, such as Live Aid.
He has won three Grammy's and is even nominated for this year's awards. He was also nominated for an Oscar for his musical score for the movie "Gandhi" and he composed the music for Satyajit Ray's "Apu Trilogy". He is the author of three books, including his autobiography, "Raga Mala".
You can hear his mesmerizing performances on these cds and videos:
![First LP record [of] Pandit Ravi Shankar](http://www.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=/MC.GIF&client=santaclaracfl&type=xw12&oclc=&upc=8904036805917)
First LP record [of] Pandit Ravi Shankar
