---
title: "Pandit Ravi Shankar: Sitar Maestro | Model Diplomat"
description: "Pandit Ravi Shankar was a sitar virtuoso who popularized Hindustani classical music globally and won three Grammys, influencing cultural diplomacy."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/pandit-ravi-shankar"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- Pandit Ravi Shankar (1920–2012) was an Indian sitar virtuoso and composer who became the foremost twentieth-century ambassador of Hindustani classical music to the world.
- Who was Pandit Ravi Shankar's guru, and what tradition did he belong to?
- What was Ravi Shankar's significance for India's cultural diplomacy?
- How did Ravi Shankar's style differ from that of Vilayat Khan?
- What major honours and awards did Ravi Shankar receive?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

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## Timeline

1. 7 April 1920

   Pandit Ravi Shankar was born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury on in Varanasi (then Benares), into a Bengali Brahmin family.

2. 4 November 2012

   His later decades nonetheless secured his canonical status; he performed publicly into his nineties, his final concert taking place in Long Beach, California…

3. 11 December 2012

   His later decades nonetheless secured his canonical status; he performed publicly into his nineties, his final concert taking place in Long Beach, California…

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In 1971, Pandit Ravi Shankar co-organized the Concert for Bangladesh with George Harrison at Madison Square Garden, raising funds and global awareness for refugees of the Bangladesh Liberation War.

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