Ravi Shankar is a world-renowned musician, composer, performer, and scholar of classical Indian music. He is one of the leading cultural figures of the twentieth century whose accomplishments place him as the leading figure of an important musical tradition. His long and distinguished musical career includes numerous recordings, performances at all the world's leading venues, and a series of unprecedented collaborations with other leading musicians. Although he is well known because of his interaction with the popular music world, it is important to underscore that Shankar is considered the leading international figure in a very elevated art form, Hindustani music. Shankar was born on April 7, 1920, in Varanasi, India. He moved to Paris in 1930, and received most of his education there. From the age of 12, he performed as a musician and dancer on tour in Europe and America with his brother Uday Shankar, and in 1939 had his first concert as soloist at a music conference in Allahabad. By 1945 Shankar's reputation as the leading performer of traditional Hindustani music on the sitar had coalesced. He began to branch out as a composer, writing music for ballet and for important films such as such as Dharti Ke Lal and Neecha Nagar. He also composed the song Sare Jahan Se Accha, which is the most widely known piece of music in India, second only to the national anthem. In 1949, Shankar became Music Director of All-India Radio at Delhi, and founded the Vadya Vrinda Chamber Orchestra. The years 1950-55 were a particularly intense period of compositional activity, most notably in the internationally-acclaimed film studios of Calcutta, where he scored The Ray Triology. For his outstanding contribution to Indian music and culture, he received his first of five Presidential Awards in 1962, India's highest honor in the arts. In the mid-1960s, his preeminence as one of the world's leading serious musicians was augmented with wide popular success. George Harrison of The Beatles developed a deep, abiding interest in Hindustani music, and began to study with Shankar. One influence of this study can be heard in his song Within You, Without You.

Currently a Regents Professor of Music at the University of California, San Diego.

Taught George Harrison of the Beatles how to play the sitar, an instrument on which he is considered an expert player.

Awarded the Polar Music Prize, the Royal Swedish Academy of Music Award, in 1998.

Father of musician Norah Jones.

Has a daughter, Anoushka Shankar.

Began his performing career as a dancer, and was taught his sitar exercises by his teacher's singing them; the teacher could not play the instrument.

Appreciated the increased attention his music received in the psychedelic era (particularly through his association with George Harrison, but found the frequent drug use of his listeners distasteful; Shankar would sometimes cut performances short, or actually stop the music and admonish the audience if wafting smoke or noises interfered with the musicians' playing. In time, his audiences cleaned up, which pleased Shankar greatly.