Ravi Shankar (born April 7, 1920 in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India) is an Indian musician best known for his virtuosity on the sitar. A disciple of
Allauddin Khan (founder of the
maihar gharana of
indian classical music),
Pandit Ravi Shankar is arguably the best-known Indian
instrumentalist, and is well known for his pioneering work in bringing the power and appeal of the
indian classical music tradition, as well as
indian music and its performers in general, to the West. This was done through his association with
The Beatles as well as with his own personal charisma.