Anoushka Shankar has paid tributes to her father, the legendary sitarist Pandit Ravi Shankar on his 98th birth anniversary. The 36-year-old sitarist shared one of her favourite photographs of her father on Instagram, recalling how she was alike him in the way she smiled.
"Today would've been my dad's 98th birthday. This is one of my favourite photos of him (and his partner at the time, my darling Kamala Chitti). When I look at it, I'm happy, knowing that my eyes disappear the same way when I smile from true happiness. It makes me think of his beautiful laugh.
"And in it I see how truly embodied he was: so in life, so in the present, so in himself. I know it was music that gave him that presence," Anoushka wrote alongside the black-and-white picture.
The Grammy-nominated music composer said the best way to celebrate the legacy of her father was to "immerse" herself in music as much possible.
"And the best thing I can do today to celebrate him is to immerse myself in as much music as possible - my own, with my instrument under my hands and connecting with his teaching, but also others', including his of course, but not only his. All music, hungrily, passionately, limitlessly. We are so lucky to have music!!! #love #fatherdaughter #ravishankar #birthday #sitar #music," he said.
Ravi Shankar was born on April 7, 1920 in Varanasi and died on December 11, 2012 after undergoing heart valve replacement surgery in San Diego, California, US. He had son Shubhendra and Anoushka with Sukanya Rajan.
He also fathered singer Norah Jones, out of wedlock with Sue Jones, a New York concert producer.
(With PTI Inputs)
