Yours in Music - A Graphic Autobiography (Pandit Ravi Shankar)

Magic…

How else can one describe the timeless strains of music that pull at our hearts as his fingers speak to the strings of his sitar?

Pandit Ravi Shankar—a musical legend, an unmatched ambassador of Indian classical music, a unique blend of exactitude and emotional freedom—the trajectory of his life as enchanting as his music.

Playing out against the myriad backdrops and nine decades of Pandit ji’s life, Yours in Music in an unprecedented tryst with the virtuoso as he looks back at his journey from little Robu to Ravi Shankar, from a teen dancer to a maestro, from the East to the West, from a shishya to a guru, while recounting the major influences in his life—most importantly his years with his guru, the grand old man of Hindustani classical music, Baba Allauddin Khan.

A graphical tribute, leading itself almost naturally to Pandit ji’s graphic journey—all yours in music.

One of the most famed legends of Indian classical music, Pandit Ravi Shankar was born into a musically-inclined Bengali family. He lived and studied in Benares until he moved to Paris with his brother, the renowned dancer Uday Shankar. Drawn towards the sitar Pandit ji was trained to perfection by Baba Allauddin Khan, the pioneer of Indian instrumental music and the architect of the maihar gharana.

The melodious strains of Pandit ji’s music cut across the seven seas and reached distant shores, making him a phenomenon in the East and the West. His rich repertoire contributed enormously to world music traditions and led to innovative collaborations with other leading musicians like Yehudi Menuhin and George Harrison. His long and distinguished career includes numerous recordings, performances at all the leading global venues and writing music for orchestra, balled and films.

Pandit ji’s peerless genius as an unequalled musician is applauded by the numerous awards, highest honours for many countries and titles bestowed on him including the Bharat Ratna the Magsaysay, five Grammys and eighteen honorary doctorates from around the world.

Neelabh Banerjee is the national art and illustrations editor at The Times of India, India’s largest newspaper. His grandfather, an artist at the erstwhile princely state of Maihar, was a neighbor and friend of Ustad Allauddin Khan.

Neelabh grew up listening to stories about Pandit ji’s Maihar days from his mother.

His contribution to the book, which is his family’s tribute to the great maestro, has some frames which have been inspired by sketches done decades ago by Neelabh’s parents.