27 moments
Birth in Benares
· Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
Ravi Shankar was born in Benares, now Varanasi, beginning a life that would make him an internationally influential sitarist and composer. Coordinates represent central Varanasi; the source does not identify a birth building.
Schooling in Benares
· Bengalitola High School, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
Shankar attended Bengalitola High School in his home city during his childhood. The source supports a 1927–1928 interval; the card date is year-level only.
Move to Paris with Uday Shankar's dance group
· Paris, France
At about age ten, Shankar left his first decade in Benares and went to Paris with the dance troupe led by his brother Uday Shankar. Year is approximate, calculated from the stated age and his 1920 birth date; coordinates represent Paris.
Music conference encounter with Allauddin Khan
· Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Shankar heard Allauddin Khan at a Calcutta music conference, an encounter that led toward his later intensive musical study under Khan. The conference venue is not identified; coordinates represent central Kolkata.
Gurukul training under Allauddin Khan
· Maihar, Madhya Pradesh, India
Shankar ended his dancing career and went to Maihar for rigorous training in Hindustani classical music under Allauddin Khan, living with Khan's family in the gurukul system. Training continued for several years; this card marks its documented start.
Move to Mumbai after completing training
· Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
After completing his musical training, Shankar moved to Mumbai and joined the Indian People's Theatre Association, composing music for its productions. Coordinates represent central Mumbai; the source does not specify his residence or IPTA building.
Music director at All India Radio
· All India Radio, New Delhi, India
Shankar began his tenure as music director of All India Radio in New Delhi, where he founded the Indian National Orchestra and composed for it. Coordinates are for the All India Radio headquarters area in New Delhi.
First LP recorded in London
· London, England, United Kingdom
During his first international touring period, Shankar recorded his first LP, Three Ragas, in London. The recording studio and exact recording date are not specified.
UNESCO music festival performance
· Paris, France
Shankar participated in the United Nations tenth-anniversary and UNESCO music-festival celebrations in Paris. Coordinates represent UNESCO Headquarters in Paris; the precise festival venue is not specified.
Sitar lessons with George Harrison
· Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Shankar taught George Harrison during Harrison's six-week visit to Srinagar, a formative collaboration in the international reception of Indian music. The source gives the year but not the exact dates or lesson site within Srinagar.
Monterey International Pop Festival performance
· Monterey County Fairgrounds, Monterey, California, United States
Shankar gave an afternoon-long sitar performance at the Monterey International Pop Festival, one of his landmark appearances before a large American popular-music audience. The festival schedule identifies Shankar on Sunday, June 18, 1967.
Woodstock performance
· Woodstock festival site, Bethel, New York, United States
Wikimedia Commons · Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International · file Shankar performed at Woodstock during the rain, an appearance that became one of the best-known festival moments of his career. The performance began at midnight in the Friday-night programme, crossing into August 16; coordinates represent the Bethel festival site.
London recording of Concerto for Sitar & Orchestra
· EMI Studios, London, England, United Kingdom
Shankar recorded his first sitar concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra at EMI's London studios before its Royal Festival Hall premiere. EMI Studios is now Abbey Road Studios; coordinates represent that documented studio site.
Planning Bangladesh relief with George Harrison
· Friar Park, Henley-on-Thames, England, United Kingdom
In the early months of 1971, Shankar raised the crisis in East Pakistan with George Harrison over dinner at Friar Park, helping initiate the effort that became the Concert for Bangladesh. The source gives only an early-1971 time frame.
Work on the Raga soundtrack
· Los Angeles, California, United States
Shankar and Harrison worked together in Los Angeles on the soundtrack for the film Raga amid planning for Bangladeshi refugee relief. The specific studio is not identified; coordinates represent central Los Angeles.
Concert for Bangladesh performance
· Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, United States
Shankar co-organized and performed in the Concert for Bangladesh at Madison Square Garden, playing an opening Indian-classical set with fellow musicians. Two shows occurred on the same date at the same venue.
Heart attack during North American tour
· Chicago, Illinois, United States
While co-headlining a North American tour with George Harrison, Shankar suffered a heart attack in Chicago and missed part of the itinerary. The source places the tour in November and December 1974 but does not give the Chicago incident's precise date or medical facility.
White House visit during Harrison tour
· White House, Washington, D.C., United States
Wikimedia Commons · This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work prepared by an officer or employee of the United States Federal Government as part of that person’s official duties. · file Shankar visited the White House with George Harrison and members of their touring band during the 1974 North American tour. The visit occurred during the November–December 1974 tour; the exact date is not stated.
Moscow performance with Russian ensembles
· Moscow, Russia
Shankar performed in Moscow with 140 musicians, including the Russian Folk Ensemble and members of the Moscow Philharmonic, alongside his Indian group. The performance venue and exact date are not identified.
Marriage to Sukanya Rajan
· Chilkur Temple, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Shankar married Sukanya Rajan at Chilkur Temple in Hyderabad. The source supplies the year but not a day or month.
BBC performance with Anoushka Shankar
· Symphony Hall, Birmingham, England, United Kingdom
Shankar performed with his daughter Anoushka for the BBC at Birmingham's Symphony Hall. The exact performance date is not stated.
Full Circle concert recording
· Carnegie Hall, New York City, New York, United States
Shankar performed at Carnegie Hall with Anoushka Shankar for the live recording that became Full Circle: Carnegie Hall 2000.
Concert for George appearance
· Royal Albert Hall, London, England, United Kingdom
Following George Harrison's death, Shankar performed at the Concert for George memorial at London's Royal Albert Hall. The source supports the year; the associated event occurred on November 29, 2002, but that exact date is not stated in this presence quote.
Residence in Encinitas
· Encinitas, California, United States
Shankar lived with Sukanya in Encinitas, California; in a reflection written at age 88, he described sitting at home there in Southern California. The year is inferred from Shankar's age of 88 after his April 1920 birth; coordinates represent Encinitas rather than a disclosed residence address.
Final concert
· Terrace Theater, Long Beach, California, United States
Shankar gave his final concert with his daughter Anoushka at the Terrace Theater in Long Beach.
Admission to Scripps Memorial Hospital
· Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, San Diego, California, United States
Two days before his death, Shankar was admitted to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla after breathing difficulties.
Death at Scripps Memorial Hospital
· Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, San Diego, California, United States
Shankar died in La Jolla following heart-valve-replacement surgery, ending a performing career that continued into his ninety-third year. The preceding sentence identifies Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla as the place of his admission and treatment.