Lakshmi Shankar Biography 
Lakshmi Shankar was a noted Hindustani classical vocalist of the Patiala Gharana known for her performances of khyal, thumri, and bhajans. She was the sister-in-law of renowned sitar player Ravi Shankar with whom she has conducted many concerts abroad. She was married to Rajendra Shankar, brother of Ravi Shankar and Uday Shankar, known by the nickname Raju. Her daughter Vijayashree Subramaniam, a singer was married to Dr. L. Subramaniam, renowned violinist, composer and conductor of Carnatic music. But she died in 1995. Her grandchildren, Bindu Subramaniam, Narayana Subramaniam and Ambi Subramaniam are all renowned musicians of Carnatic music.
She was born in 1926 and at first she concentrated towards dancing, though she had a Carnatic music background. In 1939, she became a part of Uday Shankar’s famous dance troupe, where she joined at Almora. In 1941, she married Uday Shankar's brother, Rajendra Shankar. During a period of illness, Lakshmi had to give up dancing. Then she concentrated on to music. Then she trained Hindustani classical music for many years under Ustad Abdul Rehman Khan. She also trained with her brother-in-law, renowned musician Ravi Shankar.
In 1974, Lakshmi performed in Europe as a part of Ravi Shankar's Music Festival from India. She toured North America with Shankar and George Harrison the same year and collaborated with the famous album, Shankar Family & Friends (1974). It included the pop single "I Am Missing You" with vocals by Lakshmi. She conducted assemble of Ravi’s musicians, following his heart attack. She composed music for Bharatanatyam for Shakti School of Bharatanatyam, located in Los Angeles. It is regarded as one of her best works. She passed away most recently on 30 December 2013 in California.
Published: N/A
Updated: February 20, 2014
