Lakshmi Shankar (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Sastri, 16 June 1926 – 30 December 2013) was an Indian singer and a noted

Hindustani classical Hindustani classical music is the classical music of northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. It may also be called North Indian classical music or, in Hindustani, ''shastriya sangeet'' (). It is played in instruments like the violin, sita ...

. Born into a south Indian Brahmin family, she became an outstanding Hindustani vocalist of the

Patiala Gharana The Patiala ''gharana'' (, ) is one of the vocal (tradition, school, or style of music) of Hindustani classical music, named after the city of Patiala in Punjab, India where it was established. The ''gharana'' was founded in the mid to late 19th ...

and married Rajendra Shankar, brother of

Uday Shankar Uday Shankar (8 December 1900 – 26 September 1977) was an Indian dancer and choreographer, best known for creating a fusion style of dance, adapting European theatrical techniques to Indian classical dance, imbued with elements of Indian cl ...

, a

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

by birth. She was known for her performances of ''

khyal Khyal or Khayal (ख़याल / خیال) is a major form of Hindustani classical music in the Indian subcontinent. Its name comes from a Persian/Arabic word meaning "imagination". Khyal is associated with romantic poetry, and allows the perfor ...

'', ''

thumri Thumri () is a vocal genre or style of Indian music. The term "thumri" is derived from the Hindi verb ''thumuknaa'', which means "to walk with a dancing gait in such a way that the ankle-bells tinkle." The form is, thus, connected with dance, dra ...

'', and ''

bhajan Bhajan refers to any devotional song with a religious theme or spiritual ideas, specifically among Indian religions, in any language. The term bhajanam (Sanskrit: भजनम्) means ''reverence'' and originates from the root word ''bhaj'' ...

''. She was the sister-in-law of sitar player

Ravi Shankar Ravi Shankar (; born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, sometimes spelled as Rabindra Shankar Chowdhury; 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known export of North Ind ...

and the mother-in-law of violinist

L. Subramaniam Lakshminarayana Subramaniam (born 23 July 1947) is an Indian violinist, composer and conductor, trained in the classical Carnatic music tradition and Western classical music. Early years Subramaniam was born in Madras, Madras Presidency, Br ...

(her daughter Viji (Vijayashree Shankar) Subramaniam being his first wife).

Biography

Born in 1921, Shankar started her career in dancing. Her father Bhimrao Shastri was a noted Sanskritist who took active participation in India's struggle for freedom and was a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi. She was the co-editor of 'Harijan'. In 1939, when

brought his dance troupe to

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

(recently renamed

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

), she joined the

Almora Almora ( Kumaoni: ''Almāḍ'') is a municipal board and a cantonment town in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Almora district. Almora is located on a ridge at the southern edge of the Kumaon Hills of the ...

Centre to learn Shankar's dance style based on the Indian classics, and became a part of the troupe. In 1941, she married Uday Shankar's younger brother, Rajendra (nicknamed Raju). Her sister Kamala was also a dancer at Uday Shankar's ballet troupe. During a period of illness, Shankar had to give up dancing, and already having had a background of

Carnatic music Carnatic music, known as or in the Dravidian languages, South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, an ...

, she undertook learning

Hindustani classical music Hindustani classical music is the classical music of northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. It may also be called North Indian classical music or, in Hindustani, ''shastriya sangeet'' (). It is played in instruments like the violin, sita ...

for many years under Ustad

Abdul Rehman Khan Abdul Rehman Khan is a Pakistani politician who had been a member of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab from August 2018 till January 2023. Early life and education He was born on 14 November 1952 in Isakhel, Pakistan. He has received Matri ...

. Later, she also trained with

, the

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in ...

maestro and youngest brother of Rajendra and Uday. In 1974, Shankar performed in Europe as part of

Ravi Shankar's Music Festival from India Ravi Shankar's Music Festival from India was an Indian classical music revue led by sitarist and composer Ravi Shankar intended for Western concert audiences and performed in 1974. Its presentation was the first project undertaken by the Mater ...

. Late that same year, she toured North America with Shankar and

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...

, who produced the '' Shankar Family & Friends'' album (1974), including the pop single " I Am Missing You" with vocals by Shankar. Following Ravi Shankar's heart attack during the tour, she conducted his ensemble of musicians. Shankar has shown her versatility and adaptability by composing music for

Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of S ...

for the leading dance company Shakti School of Bharatanatyam, located in Los Angeles. Shankar died on 30 December 2013 in California.

Discography

LP records * The Voice of Lakshmi Shankar – World Pacific, US, 1969 * Le chant indien, classique et dévotionnel – Stil discothèque, France, 1976 * Les Heures et les Saisons – Ocora, France, studio 107 de Radio France 1983, 1987 CDs * Les Heures et les Saisons – Ocora, France, studio 107 de Radio France 1983, 1989 * Chants de dévotion / Songs of Devotion – Auvidis (Ethnic), France, 1990 * Live Concert from Los Angeles –

Music Circle, US *

Jai Uttal Jai Uttal (born June 12, 1951) is an American musician. He is a Grammy-nominated singer and “a pioneer in the world music community with his eclectic East-meets-West sound.” Biography Uttal grew up in New York City and lived in a home filled ...

Footprints, featuring Lakshmi Shankar and Don Cherry – Triloka, Los Angeles, California, US, 1990 * Live in London – Navras, UK * Bhakti Ras (Live in London, Vol. 2, September 1992) – Navras, UK, 1995 * Shringar: Thumris – Music Today, India * Ecstasy – Audiorec, 1991 * Amrut Ras, Lakshmi Shankar sings songs from the devotional tradition – Audiorec Classics UK (Cat No 766032 1055-2), 2003 * Divine Love – Navras UK, 2005, 2006 * A life of dedication – Navras UK, 2006, 2006 * Dancing in the Light – World Village, recorded live, 9 April 2005 at On the Path Studio, Santa Monica, California, US, 2008 Cassettes * Live in London – Navras, UK * Bhakti Ras – Navras, UK * Songs of the Seasons – Music Today, India * Shringar: Thumris – Music Today, India * Thumris – HMV – India * Lakshmi Shankar Vocal with

Zakir Hussain Zakir Hussain ( ur, , link=no) is the name of: * Zakir Husain (politician), an Indian politician and former president of India * Zakir Hussain (actor), Bollywood actor * Zakir Hussain (field hockey) (1934–2019), Pakistani field hockey player * ...

and

– HMV, India

References

External links

Interview with Lakshmi Shankar
* *
Lakshmi Shankar
at

Last.fm Last.fm is a music website founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. Using a music recommender system called "Audioscrobbler", Last.fm builds a detailed profile of each user's musical taste by recording details of the tracks the user listens to, e ...

1926 births 2013 deaths Hindustani singers Singers from Chennai Place of birth missing Indian women classical singers Patiala gharana 20th-century Indian singers Women Hindustani musicians 20th-century Indian women singers Women musicians from Tamil Nadu 20th-century Khyal singers {{india-singer-stub