Shankar, a Sanskrit name meaning “One who gives Bliss,” was the perfect surname for the late Ravi Shankar since he bestowed happiness to so many in his 92 years of life. Responsible for the introduction of Classical Indian Music to the West through his relations with The Beatles in the 60s, Shankar set the Western world on fire through the melodies and ragas that reverberated from his sitar.
Whether or not you caught Ravi Shankar playing live, it does not matter, his talent transcends time and space. Passionately tending to each string, the composure and grace with which Ravi played his instruments left witnesses in awe. It was as if his rapidly moving hands were detached from his body and their driving force was directed effortlessly by his soul. The sounds that came from Shankar’s sitar were no ordinary sounds. These were the heartbeat of what lies beyond.
For many, Ravi Shankar has been and remains the emblem of India’s performing arts, which is part of the heart, breath, and life of the country’s deep spiritual roots. In particular, he represented Nada Yoga, the yoga of music. Nada Yoga is the metaphysical belief that everything that exists is sound vibration. As sounds can evoke certain moods, music has the power to inspire a person to dance on their feet or weep in their chair, depending on the chords struck. Within this branch of philosophical yoga, certain Ragas are played throughout the day and even seasons to tune in to the natural tone of the world.
Anyone who has picked up a Classical Indian instrument knows that there is no room for the distractions of the mind for anything harmonic to occur. Ravi Shankar was a living embodiment of this single mindedness. One of the planet’s most famous sitar players spent his life sharing his love of Classical Indian music around the world through numerous concerts where he served as the centerpiece as well as a mentor and teacher of other musicians surrounding him. His dedication demonstrated his countless hours of discipline, devotion, and one-pointed concentration—no easy feat in the twenty-first century. It seemed neither age nor health slowed him down, as he performed his final public concert in early November, 2012, despite reports of his ill health.
As the world watched this Indian man teach George Harrison to play the sitar in the height of The Beatles’ popularity, everyone saw how the Beatle and the sitarist embodied the deep humility of the teacher-student relationship. Here was one of the most world’s most famous rock stars sitting at the feet of a musician who was virtually unknown to the Western world, even though Shankar was already famous throughout India at the time. His obscurity in the West suggested that Eastern culture had something to teach us, which has continued to be part of his life and legacy. Shankar taught that through music we can talk to each other. We can express things when words fall short. Happiness, heartbreak, and all of life’s lessons in between are passed on through this oral tradition from teacher to student.
Ravi Shankar’s influence has impacted the world in many forms, including playing prominently at the Monterrey Pop Festival in 1967, writing the music for the legendary film Gandhi, performing on numerous recordings, and playing throughout the world up until and including this year. Surely his music plays as the soundtrack to births, weddings, funerals, and everything in between, setting the tone to the countless experiences held dear to so many. Not only will his music live on through recordings and CDs and thousands of musicians who took up this form of yoga as inspired by the legend, but his legacy will live on through his students as well as two incredibly talented daughters and musicians, Norah Jones and Anoushka Shankar.
The name Shankar also refers to the Hindu diety Shiva, who is conceptualized as He who brings destruction, endings, or transformation, as everything must end at some point in order to transform and expand. As Shankar took his final breath on Tuesday, December 11, 2012, it marks the ending of a long and influential life spent in the service of sharing one’s love and passion for the benefit of all. Although he has transitioned from his human form, there is no doubt that this is not the end of Ravi Shankar, as he will continue to meet us in every song he left behind.
Vanessa Harris is eternally grateful for her Classical Indian music teacher, Prachi Dixit.
Photography by Paul Wellman
