Rare Ravi Shankar footage surfaces showing him teach George Harrison the sitar

The new video has been shared to celebrate what would’ve been the icon’s 100th birthday

Rare footage of late sitar player Ravi Shankar has surfaced that sees him teaching Beatles guitarist George Harrison the instrument.

The footage has been shared by The Ravi Shankar Foundation with the BBC to commemorate what would’ve been the icon’s 100th birthday (April 11).

Shankar was described as the “godfather of world music” by Harrison, and a number of celebrations in London and New York were planned to celebrate his centenary, but have been cancelled due to the coronavirus.

Instead, a new video of rare footage has been shared to mark the occasion, which features footage from a number of Shankar’s gigs, and him teaching Harrison the sitar. Watch it here via the BBC.

Speaking to the BBC about the new footage, Shankar’s daughter Anoushka said: “Most people across cultures and generations seem to know the name Shankar. There definitely were decades where he was the household Indian name that was putting India on the map, culturally and artistically.”

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