Sitar Maestro Pt. Ravi Shankar dies at 92

TNI Bureau: Sitar Maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar passed away in San Diego Today. He was 92. He breathed his last at around 6 AM (4.30 pm Pacific time on Tuesday). He was admitted to the Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla last Thursday following breathing problems.

He was suffering from upper-respiratory and heart ailment over one year. He underwent heart-valve replacement surgery last Thursday. Even though, the surgery was successful, the doctors could not save the life of the musician, the pride of India.

The legendary is survived by his wife Sukanya and musician daughters, sitar player Anushka Shankar, singer Norah Jones, 3 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren.

Pandit Ravi Shankar takes the credit for making Indian classical music popular in the western countries. He has won Grammy award for three times for his contribution to classical music. He was also nominated for a Grammy award for 2013. He was honoured with Bharat Ratna – India’s highest civilian award – in 1999.