Question 1

True or false: Ravi Shankar invented the sitar in the 1950s to popularize Indian music in the West.

Accepted Answer

False. The sitar existed for centuries before Shankar; he popularized it internationally but did not invent it. It originated in medieval India.

Question 2

True or false: Ravi Shankar's daughter, Norah Jones, won eight Grammy Awards in 2003 and rarely discussed her father publicly.

Accepted Answer

True. Norah Jones won eight Grammys at the 45th Grammy Awards in 2003 and kept her relationship with Shankar private for years, rarely mentioning him publicly.

Question 3

True or false: Ravi Shankar was a three-time Grammy winner, including a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Accepted Answer

True. He won Grammys in 1968, 1973, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013, making him one of the most decorated Indian musicians.

Question 4

True or false: Ravi Shankar composed the score for the Beatles' album 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'.

Accepted Answer

False. He influenced George Harrison but did not compose for that album. He did score the film 'Gandhi' and collaborated with Harrison on other projects.

Question 5

True or false: Ravi Shankar taught sitar to jazz legend John Coltrane, who named his son after him.

Accepted Answer

False. Coltrane admired Shankar and named his son Ravi, but they never formally studied together. Shankar did mentor other Western musicians.

Question 6

True or false: Ravi Shankar performed at both Woodstock and the Monterey Pop Festival in the 1960s.

Accepted Answer

False. He famously played at Monterey Pop in 1967 but skipped Woodstock in 1969 due to illness and concerns about the chaotic atmosphere.

Question 7

True or false: Shankar served as a member of India's upper house of parliament, the Rajya Sabha, in the 1980s.

Accepted Answer

True. He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 1986 by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, serving until 1992, though he rarely attended sessions.

Question 8

True or false: Ravi Shankar was also a trained classical dancer before focusing on the sitar.

Accepted Answer

True. As a teenager, he studied dance and toured with his brother's dance troupe before switching to sitar under guru Allauddin Khan.

Ravi Shankar Trivia Questions