New Delhi: Indian-American rapper-songwriter Raja Kumari took to her Instagram handle to pay a heartfelt tribute to the late Grammy award-winner sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar. She said that the Bharat Ratna awardee was the first person to bless her.


Raja shared three throwback photos on social media along with the sitar maestro.

"Pandit Ravi Shankar was the first person to bless me in my artistic career. Whenever I doubted myself, I always remembered his words anointing me and felt that I could do anything. I decided to use the image of him blessing me as the cover art for Believe in You...because in all essences, his blessings were always a reminder of why I should believe in myself #100yearsravishankar," she wrote in her post.

In the first photo, we can see little Raja Kumari posing with Pandit Ravi Shankar. In the third picture, the legendary musician can be seen blessing her. Raja Kumari said she used this photo of him as a blessing.

(Swipe to see the photos)



For the uninitiated, Raja Kumari has rapped for tracks like 'Husn Parcham', 'The Wakhra Song' and 'Allah Duhai Hai'.



April 7, 2020, marked the 100th birth anniversary of late Pandit Ravi Shankar. His daughter Anoushka Shankar shared a video of the performance by the sitar maestro’s students.

“Sandhya Raga by Ravi Shankar, performed by his students. Today would have my father and Guru Ravi Shankar's HUNDREDTH BIRTHDAY!!! To celebrate, I’ve asked many of my father’s students to help me record this music to share with you today. This is my father’s piece “Sandhya Raga,' which I love dearly. I first got to perform it in my debut concert at thirteen, and it has been a nourishing staple I’ve returned to over the years. I like to think it would have made him smile to see us performing it together again, reuniting in music whilst spread out across the planet. #shankar100 #Ravi shankar #livefromhome,” the caption for the post read.



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