൯ SITAR

Ravi Shankar (Bengali: রবি শংকর) (born 7 April 1920), often referred to by the title Pandit, is an Indian classical musician and composer who plays the sitar. He was described as "the most famous Indian musician on the planet" by Ken Hunt of Allmusic. Shankar was born in the Indian state Uttar Pradesh and spent his youth touring Europe and India with the dance group of his brother Uday Shankar. He gave up dancing in 1938 to study sitar playing under court musician Allauddin Khan. After finishing his studies in 1944, Shankar worked as a composer, creating the music for the Apu Trilogy by Satyajit Ray, and was music director of All India Radio, Delhi, from 1949 to 1956. Shankar was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists, in 1962, and became a fellow of the academy in 1975. He was awarded the three highest national civil honors of India: Padma Bhushan in 1967, Padma Vibhushan in 1981, and Bharat Ratna in 1999. Shankar received the music award of the UNESCO International Music Council in 1975, three Grammy Awards, and was nominated for an Academy Award. He was awarded honorary degrees from universities in India and the United States. Shankar received the Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize in 1991, the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1992, and the Polar Music Prize in 1998.

Thokchom Prasanna Singh initiated his Sitar studies at the age of 11 under (Late) Prof. L. Mangi Singh (Lucknow Gharana / Traditional School), under the Head of Sitar Department of Manipur State Government Music College, Imphal, India. Prasanna was awarded the Manipur State Fellowship for 5 years for further study and research in the traditional sitar style of Bishnupur Gharanas under world renouned Sitar Maestro, Pandit Manilal Nag of Calcutta. From 1984 to 1993 Prasanna was a professor for Sitar at the Minipur State Government Music College in Imphal. He had performed on All India Radio, Indian TV and All India Music conferences. In 1996 Prasanna moved to New York and continues as a performer and instructor.

Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan (born 14 October, 1955) is a Sitar player of Hindustani Classical Music. He carries on a legacy of sitar playing that goes back seven generations in his family. He is one of India’s more celebrated younger musicians, prized especially for the vocalistic phrasing of his raga improvisations. He is privileged with both belonging to an illustrious musical family, and for achieving success in not only preserving the tradition but in pushing its boundaries to even greater heights of aesthetic beauty. He belongs to the famous Etawah Gharana and belongs to the seventh generation of this musical lineage. His family has produced the many of the most revered and influential instrumentalists in Hindusthani Classical Music including the likes of Ustad Sahabdad Khan, Ustad Imdad Khan (his great grandfather), Ustad Enayat Khan , Ustad Wahid Khan (his grandfather) and Ustad Vilayat Khan.

Anoushka Shankar (Hindi: अनुष्का शंकर), born June 9, 1981) is a sitar player and composer in the United States. She is the daughter of Ravi Shankar, Indian sitar player, and Sukanya Rajan, a bank employee. Through her father, she is the half-sister of Grammy Award winner Norah Jones. Shankar was born in London and divided her childhood between London and Delhi. As a teenager, she lived in Encinitas, California and attended San Dieguito Academy. A 1999 honors graduate, Shankar decided to pursue a career in music rather than attend college. [wikipedia]

Prasanna Leads this group in a medley of Beatles covers. FULL VERSION. www.prasanna-sitar.com

The Beatles were instrumental in introducing Sitar music to the West way back in the 60s and the late George Harrison was the only Beatle who was eager and interested in Sitar music.

A cute advertisement by Channel V reminding of us we all possess the full potential to be rock stars.. Sorry if I have missed out any of your favorite Sitar player as there are far too many. This compilation if mainly based on the availibility from YouTube at the time of posting, hope viewers can understand. Namaste.