Lakshminarayanan Shankar (born April 26, 1950), also known as L. Shankar, Shankar or Shenkar, is a violinist, vocalist and composer. Early life
L. Shankar was born in Madras, Tamil Nadu. Growing up in Jaffna, Ceylon, where his father V. Lakshminarayan was a professor at the Jaffna College of Music, Shankar was exposed to Carnatic music and other styles from an early age. His father was an esteemed violinist, his mother L.
Ravichandra Kulur was initiated into carnatic classical music at the of six. He initially took up the Mridangam and the Kanjira--South Indian percussion instruments--under the guidance of guru E P Narayana Pishardi. His father, Professor K Raghavendra Rao, was a respected flutist at the time. Ravi surprised many when he picked up the flute and played it with ease and skill. It appeared that he had inherited his father's ear for music and skill with the flute.
Swarathma is an Indian folk-rock band from Bangalore, India. The sound is rooted in Indian folk traditions while drawing on rock, blues and reggae motifs. Swarathma's live act is all about infectious on-stage energy. Their act is high on interactivity with sing-along sections, ad-libbed repartee and the occasional couplet. It also features faux folk-horses
and band members sporting Nehru Topis.