Sitar maestro and composer Pandit Ravi Shankar has once again won the highest award for music in the Western world - the Grammy - for his accomplishments in the world of music becoming the first Indian to achieve the feat thrice.
Varanasi-born Shankar, who had earlier bagged the honour in 1968 and 1972, was awarded the Grammy for his album Full Circle/Carnegie Hall 2000.
Ravi Shankar is the brother of renowned dancer late Uday Shankar, who was a legend on his own.
As a child, Shankar performed in his brother’s dance company, but gave up dancing at the age of 18 and took to playing the sitar.
The other nominees in the world music album category included Brazil’s Gilberto Gil and Milton Nascimento and Britain’s John Mclaughlin.
The 82-year-old maestro has achieved legendary stature as a composer, performer and teacher as well as widespread international recognition. The melodious strains of his sitar have carried Indian music across the seven seas.
As a music director at All India Radio, he composed many film scores, notably for the celebrated Appu trilogy of director Satyajit Ray.
http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/feb/28ravi.htm