Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c11.s2.t10.5

v2.c11.s2.t10.5

Ravi Shankar won a lot of awards during his whole life. At the beginning of his growth in the international arena, he won the Silver Bear at the Berlin Filmfest (1957) because of his soundtrack for the film *Kabuliwala*. He won the Grammy Award three times, as well as the Best Original Music Academy Award nomination (1982) for his contribution to the famous film, *Gandhi*. The Indian government also gave the highest national honourary award to him three times, namely, Padma Bhushan (1967), Padma Vibhushan (1981) and Bharat Ratna (1999). Additionally, he also received various awards from other countries, such as England, France, Australia, Japan, etc. Just before his death, he won the 1ˢᵗ Taiji Traditional Music Award in October 2012. He received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in February 2013, He successively obtained 14 honourary doctorates from various countries. The then Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called him the “Indian National Treasure and Indian Culture Heritage Ambassador” on his death. In the condolence letter to his wife, Singh said that the death of Ravi Shankar was a great loss to India, as she lost such an outstanding son. And also a great loss to the music circle for losing such a brilliant star. His great spirit accompanied with his music stepped over the boundaries of the nation and art to benefit the whole human civilisation.