Comments (0)
News |  13 Dec 2012 16:40 |  By RnMTeam

Leaders and artists pay respect to Pt Ravi Shankar

MUMBAI: As the shocking news of legend Pandit Ravi Shankar’s demise reverberates around the world, the loss is felt by music lovers all over the world. A day after his demise, condolences and grief continue to pour out from leaders and artists as the light that showed the path towards India’s glorious but often ignored culture will be dimmer, till another comes along.

The Vice President of India M Hamid Ansari in his condolence message has called the Pt  Shankar an iconic figure who had become a legend of music during his lifetime and whose greatness was universally acknowledged.|

“I am deeply saddened on the passing way of the sitar maestro, Pandit Ravi Shankar.  His name had become synonymous with Indian music. His departure has created a void which may perhaps never ever be filled. However, his work is immortal and will continue to inspire and give pleasure to millions of his admirers throughout the world.

I convey my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and all his fans. I pray to the Almighty to grant them strength and fortitude to bear this loss.”

Describing Pt Shankar as one of its most effective cultural ambassadors across the world, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh said, "I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing away of Bharat Ratna Pandit Ravi Shankar. India has lost an eminent son, the world of sitar has lost one of its ablest exponents ever and a shining light in the firmament of music has been extinguished.

I consider it a personal privilege to have known Pandit Ravi Shankar and to have served together with him as a member of the Rajya Sabha. It was difficult, often, to judge what was more remarkable – the man or his music. The nation was fortunate not only to be able to enjoy his music, but also to have him as one of its most effective cultural ambassadors across the world. His humanism, combined with his musical genius, helped him in building cross-civilizational contacts that served the world of music and benefited humanity at large."

Information and Broadcasting (I & B) minister Manish Tewari said, “With the death of Panditji, an era in classical music has come to an end. He was truly a multi-faceted personality. Through his passion for music, he linked generations together and taught the world the role and relevance of music in our lives. His innovations gave us a perfect blend of jugalbandi of different musical traditions.”

The musical fraternity too is mourning as one of its greatest musicians and vanguard of Indian music who tirelessly promoted the country’s culture was no more.

“Pandit Ravi Shankar was India’s greatest and most appropriate musical ambassador. There was a spiritual quality in his music. Apart from the fact that he was a great musician, he was a great composer too composing for Hollywood, Bollywood and Bengali films. He also composed classical concertos and undertook a number of collaborative projects with international artists- he was ahead of his time, tabla maestro Bickram Ghosh said.

Having worked under Pandit Shankar for 11 years has left Ghosh with memories of Pandit Shankar’s humility and accessibility in spite of being an international name.

“What I am left with is his intense humility unlike the starlets (musicians) of today. He was very real and approachable and was constantly educating himself. He has an intense curiosity about how the world, people and things worked. He was a great seeker. He was family and I owe him so much.”

“To say that Pundit Ravi Shankar is no more is not true. It’s only his physical presence that is no longer with us. His spirit and his music will be with us forever. He has left a legacy that is beyond his musical contribution. He was a simple, profound and a loving soul. He had humility, simplicity and a childlike demeanor that we can look up to. He came from a generation of maestros that not only taught us music but how to conduct and live our lives. They showed us simplicity is the way forward. We can’t just look at his musical legacy, we have to look at the complete picture,” Carnatic music violin maestro, Kumaresh said.

“I had the good fortune to have interacted with Pundjit Ravi Shankar at a personal and professional level since I was a child. And like the music fraternity, I aspired to follow him. He was the one who introduced me to different genres of music. His entire persona was that of one who imbibed the best of India and the West brought about by his early exposure as a boy who went straight from Varanasi to Paris. He struck the right balance between Indian ethos and global influence. The last time I saw him was at Delhi for three hours and I was suppose to attend his concert next March. He could be both a thorough professional and a humanitarian- he never just wanted the audience to watch him perform, he wanted them to be satisfied and take something back,” singer Durga Jasraj recalled.

Pandit Shankar’s legacy that encapsulated an immense and diverse body of work that students of music, especially Hindustani Classical music- could study and learn from, Hindustani vocalist Subha Mudgal said.

“His firm grasp in Hindustani Classical music and anchoring earned him reverence and respect from his peers all over the world. Other masters like Philip glass would come to him as they would come to a Master- they accepted his mastery in music. This also enabled Panditji to collaborate with a number of other top musicians as in collaborative work, there is no preset musical direction and one has to be supremely confident and talented to work with other masters. It also didn’t allow ego to come into play.”

For Mudgal who didn’t have the personal satisfaction of playing with him, performing in front of Pandit Shankar at his Ravi Shankar Centre in New Delhi is one of the highlights in her career. “I was lucky to be invited and sing in front of him. Panditji was very encouraging while we were in awe of him,” he said.

Renowned singers and instrumentalists from West Bengal mourned the demise of sitar maestro. He "was a legendary personality in the Indian and world music. His death will create a deep void in the world of music," noted sarod player Pandit Buddhadev Dasgupta.

Ustad Rashid Khan, a known Indian classical musician in the Hindustani music tradition, said Ravi Shankar was a 'great teacher' who inspired young singers and musicians. "It is a great loss. He used to come and see performances of young singers or instrumentalists. That was something very unique which does not happen nowadays."

To Tanmoy Bose, percussionist and tabla player, who has collaborated with Ravi Shankar for 13 years, the death was a 'huge loss'.

"He imbibed a lot from all of his travels abroad and collaborations with international musicians. This was reflected in his music which is known as fusion music of which he was a pioneer. He single-handedly popularised Indian music. Everyone knew about Ravi Shankar and Indian classical music."

The voice that resonated in the hearts of millions has gone silent, but has left behind unforgettable musical works that will live forever.

Tags
Games