Sitar Maestro PT. Ravi Shankar Passes Away :(

Sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar, one of India's best known musicians, died in San Diego Tuesday. He was 92. He had been admitted to the Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla last Thursday after he complained of breathing difficulties.

He breathed his last at 4.30 p.m. Pacific Time Tuesday.

Condoling this legendary musician's death, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that Ravi Shankar was a global ambassador of India's cultural heritage and a national treasure.

"An era has passed away with Pt. Ravishankar. The nation joins me to pay tributes to his unsurpassable genius, his art and his humility," the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a message on micro-blogging site Twitter.

"A national treasure and global ambassador of India's cultural heritage," it added.

India's Ambassador to US Nirupama Rao tweeted: "Pandit Ravi Shankar. Mourn passing of a musical genius and gentle soul. Attended his last concert Nov in Calif. He played with such passion."

"His last concert was particularly poignant. Anoushka and he played together in perfect unison. A torch was passed," Rao said

"The music that I have learned and want to give is like worshipping God. It is absolutely like a prayer," she quoted Ravi Shankar as saying.

RIP Panditji !

An era of music passed away with him. He was so talented and multi faceted.

Here is a video of his playing on his 90th birthday. Simply incredible at 90 👏👏👏

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o768WOGTdMo

Here is a thread regarding some of his beautiful compositions which I posted sometimes back.

https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/sa-re-ga-ma-pa-singing-superstar/1479136/indian-classical-music-pandit-ravi-shankar

May his soul rest in peace :(

May his soul rest in peace..

RIP Ravi Shankar ji.. !

RIP, an iconic legend in his own way, an institution in himself, we lost our heritage of classical music...ur work and creations will always inspire us to create soulful music

Dear Varsha,

Thank you for this heartfelt message.

I attended a concert by Pandit Ravi Shankar in the Kamani Auditorium in New Delhi in 1976, when he played 5 ragas from 10 pm to 4 am. By the end of it, youngsters like me, who could not have afforded the front row seats (I was very junior in the diplomatic service then) had gone and seated ourselves on the stage, within 6-8 feet of Panditji. I never got up in all that while, and when it all ended, my legs were numb!

I went backstage, touched his feet and got his blessings. Then I went back home, with my head still full of Puriya Dhanashree, had coffee and got back to the normal routine.

I also remember the annual concerts in honour of his father-in-law, Ustad Allauddin Khan of the Maihar gharana that he and sarod maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, his brother in law, used to organise in New Delhi in November in the 1970s and 1980s,

Lastly, during his spectacular 70th birthday celebrations at the enormous Siri Fort auditorium in New Delhi, spread over 3 evenings in 1990, we similarly clung to our seats fro 6 pm to 2 am, as a galaxy of legendary artists played in tribute to him. His own performance of 2 1/2 hours on the very last night was a blaze of passion and lyricism that belied his age.

Such as he come but once in a thousand years, and I feel blessed that I could witness his genius in person.

Shyamala

Originally posted by: Dabulls23

RIP Panditji...It is a great loss to the world...You have been an icon. We love you and will surely miss you...:(:(:(