Ravi Shankar: Mediator between Worlds of Music

            Ravi Shankar has indeed demonstrated himself as a mediator between the traditional music culture of India and the modern culture of the West. He accomplishes this through a number of different ways. Mainly, Shankar sticks to his roots of his own garana and then experiments with it under the auspices of a new culture, such as the West. Thus, he has learned to adapt his tradition to where he actually is at the moment. This ability to be flexible in different instances allowed him to be so accepted in the West, while remaining in relatively good standing with purists of his musical tradition.
             The music which he brought to the West during the 1960s was highly revered and accepted in certain subcultures. This can be explained by the immense upheaval in socio-political life during these times. In the face of such tumult, many persons turned to Shankar's music because it conveyed a sense of calm and peace in the light of such uncertainty. Although the superficial connection might be there between this music and peacefulness, many Westerners failed to realize the complexity involved in the music and the centuries of evolution involved in it. This did not stop the adoption of it as a new style of music in the subcultures though.
             While the music Shankar played was gaining notoriety, many purists felt harmed by his actions and what it would do to the Indian musical tradition. Shankar appeased them as well by maintaining a strong connection to his garana that he learned, while also displaying a vast knowledge of other styles and ragas. This allowed him to have a sort of knowledge and prowess in the area of esoteric styles. And with the joining of these forms in new experimental avenues in the 1960s and 70s, Shankar appeased both sides, the new generation and the traditional generations. .
             Embodied in his performance is the notion that Indian music can and does match up to its Western counterpart and does have a place in the musical fabric of a different culture.