In memory and honor of Ravi and George

 

I remember being a young girl hanging out at my best friend's house and finding some old vinyl albums (maybe they weren't actually OLD back then, as it was the late 70's or early 80's) stashed in her sister's room. Ravi Shankar was among those albums and was as foreign and exotic to me as anything I had ever experienced (which isn't necessarily saying much as I was raised in super-small town North Carolina.)  What I remember most was that the music was beautiful and it spoke to me. Though, foreign as it was and as unsure of what was "cool" to say, both my best friend and I looked at each other and said it was "weird".  But we continued to listen to it as if we were doing something forbidden, which is to say, we listened as often as we could.  We knew nothing about it and didn't know if it was religious or druggy or shamanic (or what shamanic meant) or if it was from some psychedelic planet.  to our discredit, we also found Air Supply albums and played them till we knew and could belt out every single word "I'm all out of love, I'm so lost without you...." you get the drift...

 

But Ravi's music was beautiful, magic, healing, and something quite special that even two 12 year old girls from a small isolated and conservative town could recognize without having any previous introduction to Indian music. 

 

So, Ravi left this world on December 10, 2012 at the wondrous age of 92 and this little video is to honor him and the beauty and love with which he walked in the world and the gifts he shared.  He taught George Harrison to play the sitar and I believe they became great friends.  I've always admired George.  He was, in fact, always my favorite Beatle.  The real poet amongst a group of wonderfully talented young men from Liverpool.  I am in no way disparaging any of the others as I love(d) them all, even Ringo (in a "we're related, so i have to love you" kind of way), but George was something really special among the already amazing.

 

Here's to you both, beautiful souls - and if you've rested in peace, hopefully you're back among us to usher in some new and wonderful love for the coming generations. Welcome.

 

so it goes....