Raga: A Journey into the Soul of India Film screening and Discussion

Purchase Tickets Here ($5 – $10)

Raga: A Journey into the Soul of India (1971) is one of the great music documentaries of the 1970s. Directed by Howard Worth and narrated by Ravi Shankar himself, it documents the life of sitar maestro Ravi Shankar and his journey as a musician and teacher in the U.S., Europe, and India. The film follows Shankar on a journey to India to visit his aging musical Guru Allauddin Khan, and features appearances by Shankar with Yehudi Menuhin, George Harrison, Alla Rakha, Shiv Kumar Sharma, Allauddin Khan. Raga was originally released by The Beatles’ Apple Films and re-released on Shankar’s own label East Meets West Music in 2010. 

The 97 minute film is preceded by a tour of the exhibition and followed by a discussion with the co-curators Brian Keigher and Gaurav Mazumdar.

About Ravi Shankar

For over eight decades, Ravi Shankar (1920-2012), was India's greatest cultural ambassador bringing the East and the West closer through music. He was a groundbreaking performer and composer of Indian classical music who brought the music and rich culture of India to the world's leading concert halls and festivals, charting the map for those who followed in his footsteps.  Shankar made it his life's mission to spread understanding and love of Indian classical music. He took it up himself in the 1920s and 1930s, after touring the world as a dancer in his famed brother Uday Shankar’s Hindu Music and Dance troupe. First, he played a leading role in its revival in India as a national classical art form; then, from the mid-1950s onward, he took it abroad to the world's foremost concert halls, festival stages and airwaves. He had a rare gift for making new audiences excited about previously alien music. He was renowned for playing at Monterey Pop and Woodstock festivals, creating the first all-star music benefit event, Concert for Bangladesh with George Harrison. Shankar reshaped the musical landscape across pop, jazz, and classical music and composed unforgettable scores for movies like Pather Panchali and Gandhi.

Please note that this is in-person event*

SAI is wheelchair accessible.

*Proof of vaccination/ recent negative COVID test and masks are required by all attendees*

Parking is available around South Asia Institute, metered and free street parking in the neighborhood.