Ravi Shankar, is the legendary sitarist and composer and a great force in the classical music worlds of East and West. He can be credited with introducing the Indian music to the West. One of the greatest sitar players of the contemporary world, Ravi Shankar has achieved unprecedented fame in Europe and America. He has been enthralling the audience, teaching and composing music for almost eight decades.

Born as Ravindra Shankar to an illustrious Bengali Brahmin family, Ravi Shankar began playing the sitar at an early age. His father Shyam Shankar, a barrister, traveled widely and at the age of 10 Ravi Shankar along with his mother shifted to Paris to be with his father and elder brother. He used to play the sitar with his brother's dance troupe, mostly with Anna Pavlova in the Soviet Union. Then Shankar decided to forgo dance and began to concentrate on the sitar. He began his study and spent many years under his guru Allaudin Khan, learning the nuances of the sitar. Like the traditional Indian system, Shankar stayed in his guru's house like his son. After intense learning, he gave his maiden public performance in 1939 in India. His formal training got over only in 1944. He began composing for films and ballet and signed a recording deal with HMV's Indian affiliate. In the 1950s he was made the music director of All India Radio. He then ventured out of India and first performed in the Soviet Union in 1953 and then the West in 1956, his programs were appreciated by many. In the West he performed in important venues and fest such as; Edinburgh Festival and Royal Festival Hall and many other venues.

George Harrison, from the Beatles, was fascinated by the sitar and began to experiment with it. Shankar and Harrison met and went on to become close friends. Shankar's association with the member of the popular band Beatles brought more fame. After his friendship with Harrison, Shankar was invited to play venues that were strange for a classical musician, such as the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival in Monterey, California, with Ustad Allah Rakha on tabla. He also performed at the Woodstock Festival in 1969. Ravi Shankar & Friends also opened for Harrison during his 1974 tour of the United States. After the death of Harrison in 2001, Shankar, his daughter, Anoushka, along with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Jeff Lynne, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, Billy Preston, among many others attended a Concert for George in London, England, where Shankar dedicated the memorial to Harrison. Shankar has received many awards and honors from India as well as other countries of the world. He has 14 honorary doctorates, the Padma Vibhushan, Desikottam, the Magsaysay Award from Manila, three Grammy Awards, the Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize (Grand Prize) from Japan, and the Crystal Award from Davos, with the title "Global Ambassador," to name but some. In 1999 he was conferred India's highest civilian honor, the Bharat Ratna.