New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday condoled the death of sitar maestro Ravi Shankar, calling him a “creative and versatile genius” and “a national treasure”.
Ravi Shankar died at a US hospital Tuesday a few days after a heart valve replacement surgery. He was 92.
Reuters
“His creative and versatile genius not only left an indelible mark on the world of Indian classical music but also popularised Indian classical music worldwide. Panditji’s passing away has left a void in the field of music which will be difficult to fill,” said Mukherjee.
Manmohan Singh called him a “national treasure”.
“An era has passed away with Pandit Ravi Shankar. The nation joins me to pay tributes to his unsurpassable genius, his art and his humility,” the Prime Minister’s Office posted on Twitter.
In his message, Vice President Hamid Ansari said, “Panditji was an iconic figure who had become a legend of music during his lifetime. His greatness was universally acknowledged.”
Minister of Culture Chandresh Kumari Katoch said, “In the history of Indian music, the mesmerising history-maker will go down as one who preserved India’s music through changing times, and gave it a fresh and new lease of life.”
IANS
