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Pandit Ravi Shankar, sitar maestro, passes away in California
TNN Dec 12, 2012, 09.36AM IST

WASHINGTON: Legendary sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar, who spearheaded the worldwide spread of Indian music and had a major influence on Western musicians like The Beatles, died today in San Diego at the age of 92.

Shankar, whose health had been fragile for the past several years, underwent heart-valve replacement surgery on Thursday at the Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, California where he breathed his last.

The music icon was admitted to the hospital last week when he complained of breathlessness.

"It is with heavy hearts we write to inform you that Pandit Ravi Shankar, husband, father, and musical soul, passed away today," his wife and daughter, Sukanya and Anoushka Shankar, said in a joint statement.

A recipient of Bharat Ratna in 1999 rpt 1999, Shankar maintained residences in both India and the United States.

He is survived by his wife Sukanya; daughter Norah Jones; daughter Anoushka Shankar Wright and husband Joe Wright; three grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

"As you all know, his health has been fragile for the past several years and on Thursday he underwent a surgery that could have potentially given him a new lease of life.

"Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the surgeons and doctors taking care of him, his body was not able to withstand the strain of the surgery. We were at his side when he passed away," the joint statement said.

"We know that you all feel our loss with us, and we thank you for all of your prayers and good wishes through this difficult time. Although it is a time for sorrow and sadness, it is also a time for all of us to give thanks and to be grateful that we were able to have him as a part of our lives. His spirit and his legacy will live on forever in our hearts and in his music," they said in their joint statement.

A three-time Grammy award winner, Shankar last performed in California on November 4 along with his daughter Anoushka Shankar.

Shankar has also been nominated for the 2013 Grammys for his album "The Living Room Sessions Part-1" and was pitted against Anoushka in the same category.

"Shankar had suffered from upper-respiratory and heart issues over the past year and underwent heart-valve replacement surgery last Thursday. Though the surgery was successful, recovery proved too difficult for the 92-year-old musician," said another statement issued by the Ravi Shankar Foundation and East Meets West Music.

In recent months, performing, and especially touring, became increasingly difficult for the musician.

However, health couldn't prevent Shankar from performing with Anoushka on November 4 in Long Beach, California.

"This, in what was to be his final public performance, was in fact billed as a celebration of his tenth decade of creating music," the foundation said.

It said the memorial plans will be announced later.

A Bengali Brahmin, he was born Robindra Shankar on April 7, 1920 in Varanasi, the youngest of four brothers, and spent his first 10 years in relative poverty, brought up by his mother. He was almost eight before he met his absent father, a globe-trotting lawyer, philosopher, writer and former minister to the Maharajah of Jhalawar.

In 1930, his eldest brother Uday Shankar uprooted the family to Paris, and over the next eight years Shankar enjoyed the limelight in Uday's troupe, which toured the world introducing Europeans and Americans to Indian classical and folk dance.

As a performer, composer and teacher, Shankar was an Indian classical artist of the highest rank, and he spearheaded the worldwide spread of Indian music and culture, said writer and editor Oliver Craske, who provided additional narrative for Shankar's autobiography 'Raga Mala'.

Shankar achieved his greatest fame in the 1960s when he was embraced by the Western counterculture.

Through his influence on his great friend George Harrison, and appearances at the Monterey and Woodstock festivals and the Concert for Bangladesh, he became a household name in the West, the first Indian musician to do so.

Shankar has authored violin-sitar compositions for Yehudi Menuhin and himself, music for flute virtuoso Jean Pierre Rampal, music for Hosan Yamamoto, master of the Shakuhachi and Musumi Miyashita - Koto virtuoso, and has collaborated with Phillip Glass (Passages).

Harrison produced and participated in two record albums, "Shankar Family & Friends" and "Festival of India" both composed by Shankar.

Shankar also composed for ballets and films in India, Canada, Europe and the United States. The latter of which includes the films "Charly," "Gandhi," and the "Apu Trilogy".

A Magsaysay award winner, Shankar was nominated as a member of the Rajya Sabha in 1986.

Believing in the greatness of Indian classical music and blessed with charisma and intelligence, he pursued a dream of taking the music out to the Western world.

Between the early 1950s and the mid-1960s he became the leading international emissary for Indian music, first performing as a solo artist in the USSR in 1954, in Europe and North America in 1956, and Japan in 1958.

He developed a characteristic sitar sound, with powerful bass notes and a serene and spiritual touch in the alap movement of a raga.

The sitar virtuoso was responsible for incorporating many aspects of Carnatic ( south Indian) music into the north Indian system, especially its mathematical approach to rhythm. He also gave a new prominence to the tabla player in concert.

He was appointed Director of Music at the Indian People's Theatre Association, and later held the same position at All India Radio (1949?56). He composed his first new raga in 1945 (30 more would follow) and began a prolific recording career.

The music doyen wrote a new melody for Mohammed Iqbal's patriotic poem 'Sare Jahan Se Accha'.

Bollywood pays tribute to Shamshad Begum
PTI | Apr 24, 2013, 02.54 PM IST

Hindi film fraternity today mourned the demise of legendary singer Shamshad Begum, calling her death the end of an era in Hindi cinema music

Begum died last night at her Powai residence in presence of her daughter Usha Ratra and son-in-law Yog Ratra.

Begum, who ruled playback singing in the '40s and 50s, was the voice behind evergreen hits like 'Kahin Pe Nigahen Kahin Pe Nishaana', 'Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon', 'Kabhi Aar Kabhi Paar' and 'Kajra Mohabbat Wala'.

Melody queen Lata Mangeshkar started her playback singing when Begum was at the peak of her career.

Mangeshkar, who sang many duets with Begum like 'Darna Mohabbat Karle from 1949 film 'Andaz', 'Pyar Ke Jahan Ki from 1949 film 'Patanga' and 'Bachpan Ke Din' 1951's 'Deedar', said she was saddened to hear about her death.

"Aaj subha mujhe pata chala ki mashhoor playback singer shamshad begumji humare beech nahi rahi, ye sunke mujhe bohot dukh hua, maine unke saath kafi filmo mein gaane gaaye, wo bohot acchhi hasmukh aur sidhi saadhi shakhsiyat thi, main unko shraddhanjali arpit karti hun," Mangeshkar tweeted.

("I got to know about the demise of famous singer Shamshad Begumji today. I felt very sad as I sang with her in many films. She was a lively and simple person.)

Reacting to her death, megastar Amitabh Bachchan said, "The golden voice of Shamshad Begum, playback singer of great eminence in some of the most historic film songs... now silent...RIP."

Singer Bappi Lahiri said Begum's death was a huge loss to the industry, which is celebrating its 100 years in May. "She was one of the most senior singers and had a unique style of singing. Her 'Kajra Mohabbat Wala' was a super-duper hit and we still listen to that song. I am a big fan of her and wanted her to sing for 'Paanch Qaidi' but it did not happen somehow because she was in Delhi that time. I deeply regret her death," Lahiri told .
Film historian Raju Bharatan, who has been close to Begum's family, said the singer was a favourite of all the composers of her time.

"She and Noorjahaan were discovered by Ustad Ghulam Haider. He brought her to Mumbai. She sang extensively for Naushad and for C Ramchandra. She was a favourite of all the composers because she had a great personality and sense of humour. She had great stamina and was the number one playback singer before Lata Mangeshkar came. Her peak was from 1945 to 1955," Bharatan said.

Composer-singer Shankar Mahadevan said her voice will always be remembered.

"I had the big fortune of talking to her over phone four years ago. She blessed me for my work. I live with that moment. We will always remember her through her songs."

Director Madhur Bhandarkar tweeted, "Shamshad Begum can truly be call the Indian nightingale. She'll be immortal because of her songs. RIP."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ente ... 930208.cms

Search for actress Dulari ends with news of her death
Bharati Dubey, TNN | May 8, 2013, 12.00 AM IST

It's a search that met with a tragic end. When TOI set out to look for yesteryear actress Dulari, based on the information that the Cine & TV Artistes Association (CINTAA) had been lending her financial help, little did we know that she was no more. Dulari, we were told, passed away in January this year at an old-age home in Pune.

Her daughter, Charulata Jagtap, who was located through a social networking site, said, "My mother was 86 years old and she was suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. She had been bedridden for over two years."

Though Charulata had been taking care of Dulari, she had to shuttle between India and Australia, owing to the fact that her children are settled there. Interestingly, CINTAA was also clueless about Dulari's demise. The association's general secretary, Dharmesh Tiwari, said, "We have not been intimated by the family. But about four months ago, the bank informed us that her account had been closed."

CINTAA had started giving money to Dulari after actress Waheeda Rehman informed them about her ailing friend. So, was Dulari in such dire straits? Charulata said, "Not that bad, but the money from CINTAA was a big help. I am not working, so my children used to help her financially. "

Dulari's filmi career started with a small role in Bombay Talkies' Hamari Baat (1943). She was forced to work after her father fell ill. In 1952, she married sound recordist Jagtap and took a nine-year-break. She played big and small roles in almost 135 films, including Jab Pyaar Kisise Hota Hai (1961), Mujhe Jeene Do (1963), Teesri Kasam (1967), Deewar (1975), Prem Rog (1982) and Agar Tum Naa Hote (1983). Her last film was Guddu Dhanoa's Ziddi (1997).

Rituparno Ghosh, National Award-winning filmmaker, is no more...

A HUGE loss, particularly to all Bengalis like myself. A truly talented director who passed away far too early.

For a non Bengali too;( I think last one was Ajay, Ash film?

Raincoat was the last (only?) Hindi film he made that has been released. (Kashmakash, with Riya and Raima Sen, was dubbed from the Bengali film Noukadubi). Since then, there was The Last Lear in English with AB, Arjun Rampal, and Preity Zinta. His last Bengali film to have been released was Chitrangada, and he has just finished shooting Satyanweshi, a detective film with director Sujoy Ghosh (Kahaani) in the lead.

His films are really worth checking out - his film Abohomaan is the only Bengali film to be released on Bluray so far.