Breaking News English

The world’s greatest [ever / even] sitar player Ravi Shankar has died in a hospital in the USA, aged 92. The [legendary / legend] maestro was hospitalized last week to have an operation, but never [fully recovering / recovered] . His wife Sukanya and daughter Anoushka, also an [accomplishment / accomplished] sitarist, were by his side when he [past / passed] away. They issued a statement to say: “Unfortunately, [spite / despite] the best efforts of the surgeons and doctors taking care of him, his body was not able to [withstand / withhold] the strain / straits] of the surgery." They added: “Although it is a time for [sorrow / sorrowful] and sadness, it is also a time for all of us to give thanks and to be grateful that we were able to have him as a [part / party] of our lives. He will live forever in our hearts and in [his / our] his music.”

Ravi Shankar was born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury on 7 April 1920 in Varanasi on the [banks / banking] of the River Ganges. He started learning the sitar when he was 26. Sixteen years later he was [toured / touring] Europe and the USA helping to increase the [favourites / popularity] of Indian classical music. His major [break-up / break] came when he taught George Harrison of The Beatles to play the sitar. He went on to have a [huge / enormous] influence on Western popular music and became an international superstar. He said [in / on] an interview in 2011: “Everywhere I went, I was [recognised / recognition] . I didn't like that at [every / all] .” Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described him as a "[national / nationality] treasure and global ambassador of India's cultural [hermitage / heritage]" .