Pandit Ravi Shankar

Pandit Ravi Shankar is an Indian composer and sitar player. He is a disciple of Allauddin Khan (founder of the Maihar gharana of Indian classical music).

He is considered one of the greatest sitar players of modern times. He is also among the Indian classical musicians to have achieved fame in Europe and America. This was in some part due to his association with The Beatles (particularly George Harrison, who described Shankar as the "Godfather of world music") as well as with his own personal charisma.

Shankar's musical career spans eight decades, from the 1930's to the 2000's. He holds the Guinness Record for the longest international career. Shankar is the father of singer Norah Jones and Anoushka Shankar.