Get a glimpse of Pt. Ravi Shankar beyond the sitar as Enchantment returns to Bengaluru

For instance, the fact that he was “open about his life. What also drew me to him was the fact that he faced so much adverse criticism on his performances in the West that hurt him deeply. With his roots in tradition and spirituality, how could he not be shocked by the hippie audience at the Woodstock Festival?  But he had a larger goal in mind,” says Gowri, adding, “Pt. Ravi Shankar witnessed how Uday, his elder brother, made India known to the West, and he wanted to take Indian classical music to the global stage in the same manner. He did it in his own way, and who am I to question it?”

It is this “missionary zeal to put Indian music on the world map” that Gowri admires. “And he did what he set out to achieve; everyone else followed.” “Enchantment is not about Pt. Ravi Shankar the musician, but the man he saw himself as, with all the vulnerabilities. Most importantly, how he saw the world becoming his stage. And this was my focus all along,” explains Gowri.

Lastly, what would Pt. Ravi Shankar say if he were watching the play? “ He would have been intrigued by how somebody else saw him. He might have nodded or shaken his head at different moments, or simply chuckled. But since his entire life is a testament to his conviction that artists are free to express their truth, he wouldn’t have questioned my right to portray him.”

On September 17 at Bangalore International Centre. Entry is free; to RSVP, visit bangaloreinternationalcentre.org/