I woke up this morning to discover that, at 92 years of age, a wonderful musician passed away last night. I’m not an enormous Ravi Shankar fan—I only own two Shankar collections—but I’ve found his style of music quite beautiful since I first discovered it, and it has been great inspiration while writing some of my dreamier scenes and sequences.
When I heard the news I wanted to write a blog post about the man, but I quickly realized I don’t have too much to say about him other than I’ve enjoyed his music. Writing a glowing review of the man’s life, or exclaiming my adoration for him, would have been insincere and kind of gross.
So instead, I decided to write just a little bit about discovering new things in life.
I’ve noticed, in my own life, there’s a certain stigma that goes along with discovering an artist right after they’ve passed. It’s a kind of condemning that goes along with not knowing someone, or something, you obviously should have. “You don’t know who Ravi Shankar was? He taught The Beatles? He’s Norah Jones’ father? He wrote some of the best Sitar music of the 20th century?” Things along those lines.
But no one person knows everything, and happening upon something you’ve never experienced before is one of life’s most delightful treats. It makes me think of a wonderful XKCD Comic about helping people discover new things.
The world is a vast and wonderful place. No two people are alike, and no one stone, it would seem, has gone unturned. So, if you’ve never heard of Ravi Shankar, take a part of your day to listen to some of his music. And if you have heard of him, take some time to discover something new today. Here’s a list of just a few: