Ravi Shankar

Indian sitar player (1920–2012)
Person human Q103774
Press Enter · cited answer in seconds

Ravi Shankar was born on April 7, 1920, in Varanasi[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] and died on December 11, 2012, in San Diego[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. He held citizenship in the British Raj and India[11]. His professional occupations included composer, sitarist, film director, and politician[12][13].

He worked within the genres of Hindustani classical music and Indian classical music. Throughout his life, he received numerous awards, including the Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres‎, Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Ramon Magsaysay Award, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Banga Bibhushan, and Praemium Imperiale, among others[14].

Ravi Shankar

Summary

Ravi Shankar is a human[1]. He was born in Varanasi[2]. He was born on April 7, 1920[3]. He died in San Diego[4]. He died on December 11, 2012[5]. He worked as a composer[6], sitarist[7], film director[8], and politician[9]. He ranks in the top 0.43% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (3,023 views/month, #4,317 of 1,000,298).[10]

Key Facts

  • Ravi Shankar was born in Varanasi[2].
  • Ravi Shankar died in San Diego[4].
  • Ravi Shankar was born on April 7, 1920[3].
  • Ravi Shankar died on December 11, 2012[5].
  • Ravi Shankar was married to Annapurna Devi[11].
  • A child of Ravi Shankar was Norah Jones[12].
  • A child of Ravi Shankar was Shubbo Shankar[13].
  • A child of Ravi Shankar was Anoushka Shankar[14].
  • Ravi Shankar held citizenship in British Raj[15].
  • Ravi Shankar held citizenship in India[16].
  • Ravi Shankar's professions included composer[6].
  • Ravi Shankar worked as a sitarist[7].
  • Ravi Shankar's professions included film director[8].
  • Ravi Shankar's professions included politician[9].
  • Ravi Shankar held the position of member of Rajya Sabha[17].
  • Ravi Shankar received the Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres‎[18].
  • Ravi Shankar received the Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire[19].
  • Ravi Shankar received the Ramon Magsaysay Award[20].
  • Ravi Shankar received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award[21].
  • Ravi Shankar received the Banga Bibhushan[22].
  • Ravi Shankar received the Praemium Imperiale[23].
  • Ravi Shankar was a member of American Academy of Arts and Letters[24].
  • Ravi Shankar's religion is recorded as Hinduism[25].
  • Ravi Shankar is recorded as male[26].
  • Ravi Shankar's instance of is recorded as human[27].

Body

Origins and Family

Born in Varanasi[2], Ravi Shankar… he was born on April 7, 1920[3].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include composer[6], sitarist[7], film director[8], and politician[9]. Ravi Shankar held the position of member of Rajya Sabha[17].

Recognition

Awards received include Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres‎[18], a grade of an order[28], in France[29]; Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire[19], a grade of an order[30], in United Kingdom[31]; Ramon Magsaysay Award[20], an award[32], in Philippines[33], founded in 1958[34]; Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award[21], a lifetime achievement award[35], in United States[36], founded in 1962[37]; Banga Bibhushan[22], an award[38], in India[39], founded in 2011[40]; and Praemium Imperiale[23], an international award[41], founded in 1988[42].

Personal Life

Among Ravi Shankar's spouses was Annapurna Devi[11]. Children include Norah Jones[12], an actor[43], b. 1979[44], of United States[45], awarded the Grammy Award for Best New Artist[46], specialised in music composing[47]; Shubbo Shankar[13], a sitarist[48], 1942–1992[49], of India[50]; and Anoushka Shankar[14], a composer[51], b. 1981[52], of United Kingdom[53]. His religion is recorded as Hinduism[25].

Death and Burial

Ravi Shankar died on December 11, 2012[5]. He died in San Diego[4]. Recorded cause of death include respiratory failure[54] and heart failure[55].

Works and Contributions

Things named for Ravi Shankar include Ravi Coltrane[56], a jazz musician[57], b. 1965[58], of United States[59].

Why It Matters

Ravi Shankar ranks in the top 0.43% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (3,023 views/month, #4,317 of 1,000,298).[10] He has Wikipedia articles in 30 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[60] He is known by 27 alternative names across languages and contexts.[61]

He has been cited as an influence by George Harrison[62], a guitarist[63], 1943–2001[64], of United Kingdom[65], awarded the Billboard Music Awards[66]; The Beatles[67], a musical group[68], founded in 1960[69]; and The Stooges[70], a musical group[71], founded in 1967[72].

Entities named for him include Ravi Coltrane[56], a jazz musician[57], b. 1965[58], of United States[59].

FAQs

Where was Ravi Shankar born?

Ravi Shankar was born in Varanasi[2].

Where did Ravi Shankar die?

Ravi Shankar died in San Diego[4].

Who was Ravi Shankar married to?

Ravi Shankar's spouses include Annapurna Devi[11].

What did Ravi Shankar do for work?

Ravi Shankar worked as composer[6], sitarist[7], film director[8], and politician[9].

What awards did Ravi Shankar receive?

Honors received include Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres‎[18], Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire[19], Ramon Magsaysay Award[20], and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award[21].

Who did Ravi Shankar influence?

Ravi Shankar has been cited as an influence by George Harrison[62], The Beatles[67], and The Stooges[70].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . theguardian.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  2. [4] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  3. [26] . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  4. [11] . wikidata.org.
  5. [15] . wikidata.org.
  6. [16] . LIBRIS. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  7. [27] . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  8. [17] . wikidata.org.
  9. [12] . wikidata.org.
  10. [13] . wikidata.org.
  11. [14] . wikidata.org.
  12. [6] . wikidata.org.
  13. [7] . wikidata.org.
  14. [8] . justdial.com. justdial.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  15. [9] . wikidata.org.
  16. [25] . wikidata.org.
  17. [18] . wikidata.org.
  18. [19] . wikidata.org.
  19. [20] . wikidata.org.
  20. [21] . wikidata.org.
  21. [22] . wikidata.org.
  22. [23] . praemiumimperiale.org. Retrieved . praemiumimperiale.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  23. [24] . wikidata.org.
  24. [54] . wikidata.org.
  25. [55] . wikidata.org.
  26. [3] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  27. [5] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [62] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [67] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [70] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [56] . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [43] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [44] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [45] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [46] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [47] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [48] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [49] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [50] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [51] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [52] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [53] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [28] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [29] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [30] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [31] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [32] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [33] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [34] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [35] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [36] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [37] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  22. [38] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  23. [39] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  24. [40] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  25. [41] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  26. [42] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  27. [63] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  28. [64] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  29. [65] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  30. [66] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  31. [68] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  32. [69] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  33. [71] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  34. [72] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  35. [57] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  36. [58] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  37. [59] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [10] . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [60] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [61] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

📑 Cite this page

Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Ravi Shankar. Retrieved April 18, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/ravi-shankar
MLA “Ravi Shankar.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 18 Apr. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/ravi-shankar.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_ravi-shankar_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Ravi Shankar}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/ravi-shankar}, note = {Accessed: 2026-04-18}}
LLM prompt According to 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph (aggregator of Wikidata, Wikipedia, and authoritative open-data sources): Ravi Shankar — https://4ort.xyz/entity/ravi-shankar (retrieved 2026-04-18)

Canonical URL: https://4ort.xyz/entity/ravi-shankar · Last refreshed:

Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 5d ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-15 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Occupation composer, sitarist, film director +1
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/31699|batch #31699]]: import P21 and P106 from GND (1)"
  2. 21d ago · MariuszRokin · 2026-04-30 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Image purged at
    Image purged license
    Prabook id 645290
    Image needs reharvest
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P3368]]: 726737, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/257026|batch #257026]]"
Live feed via Wikidata EventStreams. New edits appear within minutes of being made on Wikidata.