Ravi Shankar Family Tree: The Story Behind The Sitar's Global Ambassador

Pandit Rabindra Shankar Chowdhury "Ravi Shankar", born 7 April 1920 in Varanasi, United Provinces, British India, was the most-influential Indian classical sitarist of the 20th century — taught George Harrison of the Beatles; performed at Monterey Pop Festival (1967) and Woodstock (1969); Bharat Ratna (1999), 3 Grammy Awards (1968 West Meets East; 2002 Full Circle; 2013 The Living Room Sessions Part 1). Father of Norah Jones and Anoushka Shankar. He died 11 December 2012 at age 92.

The Family's Roots: A Bengali Brahmin Family

The Chowdhury family is Bengali Brahmin from Varanasi (Banaras) and originally from East Bengal (Bangladesh).

His Parents

Father: Shyam Shankar Chowdhury — lawyer; mostly absent; settled in London.

Mother: Hemangini Devi Chowdhury — homemaker.

His Brothers and Sister

Uday Shankar (1900–1977) — eldest brother; legendary dancer; pioneer of modern Indian dance; ran the Uday Shankar India Cultural Centre, Almora; Padma Vibhushan (1971).

Other brothers; one sister.

His Music Teacher: Allauddin Khan

Allauddin Khan (c. 1862–1972) — Maihar Gharana legend; Ravi Shankar's guru from 1938. His daughter Annapurna Devi became Ravi's first wife.

His First Wife: Annapurna Devi

Annapurna Devi (Roshanara Khan; 1927–2018) — surbahar (bass sitar) virtuoso; Padma Bhushan (1977); daughter of Allauddin Khan. Married Ravi in 1941 when she was 14 (he was 21). Separated 1962; divorced.

Son with Annapurna: Shubhendra "Shubho" Shankar

Shubhendra Shankar (1942–1992) — Ravi's son with Annapurna; sitarist and painter; died at 50.

His Second Wife: Sukanya Rajan

Sukanya Rajan Shankar — Indian Carnatic vocalist; married Ravi in 1989 in California (they had been together for years prior). Lived together until Ravi's death in 2012.

Daughter with Sukanya: Anoushka Shankar

Anoushka Shankar, born 9 June 1981 — sitarist; 6-time Grammy nominee; carries the Maihar Gharana lineage forward.

His Daughter with Sue Jones: Norah Jones

Geethali Norah Jones Shankar, born 30 March 1979 — American singer-songwriter and pianist; 9-time Grammy winner (Come Away with Me 2002). Born to American concert promoter Sue Jones; Ravi's relationship with Sue was long-term but they never married.

The Shankar Family Tree at a Glance

Family Origins: Bengali Brahmin; Varanasi.

Father: Shyam Shankar Chowdhury — lawyer.

Mother: Hemangini Devi.

Brother: Uday Shankar (1900–1977) — dancer; Padma Vibhushan.

Guru: Allauddin Khan (c. 1862–1972) — Maihar Gharana founder.

First Wife: Annapurna Devi (1927–2018; surbahar virtuoso; m. 1941, div. 1962).

Son: Shubhendra Shankar (1942–1992).

Long-term partner (American): Sue Jones — Norah Jones's mother.

Daughter (with Sue): Norah Jones (b. 30 March 1979) — 9-time Grammy winner.

Second Wife: Sukanya Rajan (m. 1989).

Daughter (with Sukanya): Anoushka Shankar (b. 9 June 1981) — 6-time Grammy nominee; sitarist.

Ravi Shankar:

  • Born 7 April 1920, Varanasi
  • Joined his brother Uday Shankar's dance company at age 10; toured Europe extensively (1930s)
  • Apprenticed to Allauddin Khan in Maihar, 1938–44
  • Director of music, All India Radio (1949–56)
  • First Western performance: 1956 (US); collaboration with violinist Yehudi Menuhin from 1966 (West Meets East)
  • Beatles' George Harrison: studied with Ravi from 1966; "Within You Without You" (1967) and other tracks
  • Monterey Pop Festival: 18 June 1967
  • Woodstock: 15 August 1969
  • Concert for Bangladesh: 1971 (with George Harrison) — first-ever charity concert
  • Composer: Pather Panchali, Aparajito (Satyajit Ray); Anuradha (Hrishikesh Mukherjee); Gandhi (Richard Attenborough, 1982)
  • Member of Indian Rajya Sabha 1986–92 (nominated)
  • Bharat Ratna: 1999
  • 3 Grammy Awards: 1968, 2002, 2013 (posthumous)
  • Died 11 December 2012, San Diego, age 92

What the Shankar Family Story Teaches Us

A lawyer father. A homemaker mother. A pioneering-dancer elder brother. A guru whose daughter became Ravi's first wife. A son (Shubhendra) who predeceased him. A long-term American partnership producing a 9-time Grammy daughter. A second wife producing a 6-time Grammy daughter. Two iconic music daughters from two different relationships.

For every family — large or small, famous or otherwise — the Ravi Shankar story carries the same lesson. Some families produce extraordinary daughters from unconventional partnerships. Norah Jones and Anoushka Shankar are both on the Shankar family record — daughters of different mothers, in different countries, both major Grammy figures. Write down every child equally.

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