A graphic novel based on Pandit Ravi Shankar’s autobiography transports readers into the life and times of the sitar maestro. One would imagine that an autobiography of legendary musical maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar would be a big, fat book tracing his journey from beginning to the end and all the milestones in between. But when his wife Sukanya Ranjan wanted to record the legend’s story, she decided to do it a little differently. “Sukanyaji called me saying she wanted an illustrated representation of Guruji’s life. It was meant to be a surprise for his birthday,” says Shobit Arya, owner of Wisdom Tree Publications, which recently published…

A track from Living Room Sessions Part 1 is featured on the July Songlines Publishing Ltd CD – TEN TRACKS FROM THE BEST NEW RELEASES. See more… DOWNLOAD ON ITUNES

Songlines magazine announced its nominations for the 2013 Songlines Music Awards – with Ravi Shankar nominated for Best Artist for The Living Room Sessions Part 1! The awards, voted by Songlines readers and the general public, endeavour to celebrate and acknowledge the myriad of musical talents across the world. All the nominated artists have had albums reviewed in Songlines during 2012. Profiles of nominees will be published in the April/May issue of Songlines (#91), on sale from March 15. The winners of each category will be announced in the June issue (#92), on sale from April 26, 2013. Ravi is in great company for the Best…

The Recording Academy awarded the Lifetime Achievement award to the Ravi Shankar on February 9th at the 55th Grammy Awards Ceremony – something he learned of with delight and gratitude just one week before his passing in December of 2012. Starting in the early decades of the 20th century as a member of his brother Uday’s dance troupe, the Maestro’s career spanned some of the most important eras of East-West world music collaboration. During that time he won two Grammys – Best Chamber Music Performance in 1968 with Yehudi Menuhin for West Meets East (left, accepting with Alla Rakha) and for Album of the Year with…

It is with great sadness that we mark the passing of Pandit Ravi Shankar, Sitar virtuoso, cultural ambassador, teacher, friend and inspiration to all of us. But it is with great joy that we celebrate his life of 92 years and its uncompromising dedication to musical collaboration beyond national boundaries, virtuosity in every creative endeavor and a fundamental love of Gurukul teaching on Indian classical music forms. Please enjoy this slideshow of an amazing life and its incomparable love of music in all its forms. To donate to the Ravi Shankar foundation and help carry on the tradition of the Maestro, click here.