31 Facts About Shambhu Das

Shambhu Das was born on 1934 and is an Indian classical musician and educator.

Shambhu Das is best known for his long association with Ravi Shankar, on whose behalf Das has acted as an ambassador for Indian music in Canada since the early 1970s, and his friendship with George Harrison of the Beatles, whom Das helped teach sitar in 1966.

In 1970, Das established the Indian Music Department at Toronto's York University, where he taught for four years.

Shambhu Das recruited the Indian musicians and played sitar on Harrison's 1968 solo album Wonderwall Music, which was partly recorded in Bombay.

Shambhu Das occasionally accompanied Shankar at his concerts and has performed himself throughout North America, Europe and India.

Shambhu Das was born in the Hindu holy city of Benares, in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

Shambhu Das was brought up in the Bengali Hindu tradition.

Shambhu Das's father was a restaurateur who supplied food to the Allied forces during World War II.

Shambhu Das says his first memory of hearing an Indian classical raga was a performance by a shehnaist outside a temple.

Shambhu Das was first taught sitar by a music tutor who visited his home.

Shambhu Das then attended Theosophical college, where his studies continued under the Dagar brothers.

Shambhu Das attended Benares Hindu University, graduating with a master's degree in music in 1959.

That year, Shambhu Das joined Shankar in Bombay, where he became part of Shankar's household, occasionally accompanied his guru in concert, and served as his personal assistant.

Shambhu Das was among the musicians selected to teach instrumental classes when Shankar founded his Kinnara School of Music in Bombay, which opened in July 1962.

In September 1966, Shambhu Das assisted in teaching sitar to George Harrison of the Beatles.

When Shankar moved to Los Angeles in 1967 and set up a branch of the Kinnara school there, Shambhu Das took over the running of the Bombay school.

Shambhu Das recruited the other local musicians for the sessions, which produced the Beatles' 1968 B-side "The Inner Light".

Shambhu Das described Das and Harrison's friendship as "a relationship that has yet to be addressed fully by popular music historians".

In 1970, Shankar organised for Shambhu Das to move to Canada to help promote Indian classical music in North America, through a program of lectures, public performances and private tuition.

Between 1970 and 1974, Shambhu Das taught at York University in Toronto, where he co-founded the Indian Music Department.

Shambhu Das then taught sitar and vocal technique at Sangeet, a private music school.

Shambhu Das acted as Shankar's business manager, negotiating fees for private recitals for celebrities such as Peter Sellers.

Shambhu Das himself performed concerts in India, North America and Europe, and made appearances on CBC television and radio.

In 1994, Shambhu Das made two cassette recordings, titled Dhyanam and Shanti Vani, of musical pieces designed to accompany yoga and meditation practice.

In 1996, Shambhu Das published the book Music and Meditation, written with Samprasad Majumdar.

Shambhu Das credited Harrison and the Wonderwall Music project with inspiring his move towards Indo jazz.

In 2004, Shambhu Das responded to an initiative launched by the Ontario premier, Dalton McGuinty, to contribute humanitarian aid to citizens of India, Bangladesh and Nepal after the region had been subject to devastating floods.

Shambhu Das overcame poor health to complete the day-long performance; as stipulated beforehand, he left the stage only for toilet breaks, during which his place was taken by one of his students.

Since the late 1970s, Shambhu Das has lived with him family in Scarborough in the east of Toronto.

Several years after his return to Toronto, Shambhu Das suffered a major heart attack.

Shambhu Das was persuaded to re-engage with his passion for music by Shankar, whose son Shubho had died in 1992, and who himself has begun to suffer serious heart problems at this time.