Shankar was born in Varanasi and spent his youth touring Europe and India with the dance group of his brother Uday Shankar. He gave up dancing in 1938 to study sitar playing under court musician Allauddin Khan. After finishing his studies in 1944, Shankar worked as a composer, creating the music for the Apu Trilogy by Satyajit Ray.
Background
Pandit Ravi Shankar is arguably the best-known Indian instrumentalist and is well known for his pioneering work in bringing the power and appeal of the Indian classical music tradition, as well as Indian music and its performers in general, to the W. This was done through his association with The Beatles (particularly George Harrison) as well as with his own personal charisma. His musical career spans over six decades and Shankar currently holds the Guinness Record for the longest international career.
Career
Shankar toured the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States. In 1958, he was one amongst the musicians who participated in the 10th anniversary celebrations of the United Nations and UNESCO music festival at Paris. In 1962, he established the Kinnara School of Music in Mumbai and later opened a western branch in Los Angeles, California in 1967. He was honored with the Grammy Award for best Chamber Music Performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.
Religion
Bengali Brahmins are those Brahmins who traditionally reside in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent, currently comprising the Indian state of West Bengal, Tripura, Assam and Bangladesh.