Dear Editor,
With regards to your news item `Bollywood pays final tribute to Joy Mukherjee’ (SN Mar 11), I write to inform readers that another Bollywood icon passed on and was cremated on Friday. Music icon Padmashree Ravi Shankar Sharma passed away in Mumbai. New York based Guyanese heaped tributes on the Bollywood legend.
He worked closely with well known Guyanese artistes and music promoters. Ramesh Kalicharran, a music promoter, Lake Persaud and Terry Gajraj, both currently touring India, among other prominent Guyanese singers, describe Ravi as a music legend, whose absence from the Bollywood music industry will be greatly felt. Lake Persaud and Terry Gajraj plan to personally offer condolences to the bereaved family when they visit Mumbai today on the final leg of a tour to India.
Ravi worked with several Guyanese singers composing music for them and those I spoke with all express their gratitude for his contributions to the music industry. Ravi had a close connection and appreciation for Guyanese artistes and promoters of Indian music in New York. He directed music for a song in tribute to Guyanese indentured labourers.
The music was produced by Essequibian Ramesh Kalicharran and sung by Asha Bhosle who performed in Guyana some years ago. It was completed in 1985. The song and music were to be included in the movie “1838”, produced and directed by Berbician Rohit Jagessar which was filmed in Guyana. The movie described the indentured period in Guyana.
Ravi spent time among Guyanese in Queens staying at the home of Ramesh Kalicharran and got to know a lot of Guyanese performers. He was very impressed with Indo-Guyanese holding on to their culture after their ancestors had left India for such a long period.
Ravi also performed for Kali’s tours visiting Mumbai. He was a regular guest at the Kali Bhatra Yatra farewell reception in Mumbai for almost 30 years. In 2001, Ravi was in New York when an earthquake shook Gujarat killing thousands. Overnight the music genius composed a song that was performed at the Guyanese fundraiser for the victims in Richmond Hill. The fundraiser, organized by Dr. Tara Singh and others, netted US$40K among Guyanese and was sent to NGOs in Gujarat. Before his death, Ravi was looking forward to meeting with Guyanese during Kali’s current tour of India.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
