40 Quotes by Ravi Shankar

In India, I have been called a 'destroyer.' But that is only because they mixed my identity as a performer and as a composer. As a composer I have tried everything, even electronic music and avant-garde. But as a performer I am, believe me, getting more classical and more orthodox, jealously protecting the heritage that I have learned.

One single raga can be performed for two hours, three hours.

I will keep playing as long as my body lets me, and as long as I'm wanted by my listeners. Because music is the only thing that keeps me going.

The music that I have learned and want to give is like worshipping God. It's absolutely like a prayer.

I try to give to my music the spiritual quality, very deep in the soul, which does something even if you are not realizing it or analyzing it - that's the duty of the music.

There are thousands of ragas, and they are all connected with different times of the day, like sunrise or night or sunset. It is all based on 72 of what we call 'mela' or scales. And we have principally nine moods, ranging from peacefulness to praying, or the feeling of emptiness you get by sitting by the ocean.

I was admired by all these hippies, and it was wonderful playing at Monterey and Woodstock, performing for half a million people.

In our culture we have such respect for musical instruments, they are like part of God.

I have always had an instinct for doing new things. Call it good or bad, I love to experiment.