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Raviji sitting in front of a portrait of Guru Baba Allauddin A postage stamp released in honour of Pandit Ravi Shankar
attending the Gunidas Sangeet Sammelan Duke. On both occasions, he spent a few
in 2002, where Shankar played raag minutes with me, cracking a joke or two.
Hameer Kalyan in a 10-and-a-half beat cycle. Sukanya would be with him everywhere.
Percussionist Taufiq Qureshi and flautist Though I wanted to meet the maestro again, it
Ronu Majumdar were sitting near me, and never happened. He spent a lot of time between
they just couldn’t believe what a phenomenal the US and New Delhi, and his visits to Mumbai
performance he gave at the age of 82. For the reduced drastically. I meanwhile discovered
interview, to avoid any doubts, I made sure I some rare footage on YouTube, including this
carried CDs released by tabla maestro Ustad amazing clip of him rendering raag Pancham
Zakir Hussain’s Moment Records. Se Gara with Allarakha at Monterey, and one
Those days, when there were no selfies, getting where he conducted an orchestral session
an autograph had a special charm. So on my featuring Allarakha, santoor maestro Pandit
next interview, I carried a copy of Shankar’s Shivkumar Sharma and flautist Pandit
book ‘Raga Mala’. Reading it was an eye-opener Hariprasad Chaurasia.
as it contained some magnificent anecdotes and Shankar’s death on December 11, 2012, was a
lots of information on his musical thinking. huge loss to not only Indian music but world
During the interview, he elaborated on some music too. At one of his press conferences,
things the book covered. It was to be my last in- a journalist had asked him how he felt to be
depth interview of him, though we interacted a described as the godfather of world music. He
few more times. had replied, “Whatever that means, I don’t look
like Marlon Brando from any angle.”
PART 3 - JHALA Millions have enjoyed and appreciated
When Ustad Vilayat Khan passed away in Shankar’s music. But for those who got to know
March 2004, I called up Shankar in New Delhi him even a bit, his charm and humour were
for a short tribute. Considering the talk of their enduring. The term ‘magnetic personality’ was
famous rivalry, I did not expect him to say probably created for him.
much. But he spoke at length, describing Khan
as a precious gem and a soulful artiste. He said
stories of the rivalry were created by the Press
and by those with vested interests. “We had
some differences over technical musical matters,
but as artistes, we admired each other,” he said.
I met Shankar twice after that. One was at a
dinner hosted to honour Zubin Mehta at the Taj
Mahal hotel, and in early 2005, at a New Delhi
concert featuring violinist L. Subramaniam, The Shankar family meeting with longtime friend, the late
vocalist Al Jarreau and keyboardist George violin virtuoso, Yehudi Menuhin
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