In the world classical music and beyond, the much loved Shri Ravi Shankar Prasanna is something of a luminary persona. He has taken on the iconic status for his virtuosity on the bansuri. In addition to technical brilliance, he provides a transcendent and enriching experience for the listener with his soulful, evocative melodies.
Hailing from the legendary musicians of Benaras Gharana, music came naturally to him at a very early age. Under the tutelage of his late father Pt. Raghunath Prasanna (awarded with Kendriya Sangeet Natak Academy) he was initiated into Hindustani Classical Music. Later on he sought musical guidance under late Ustad Mohammed Ali Khan and late Pt. Satyadev Panwar. It is the meticulous training of these eminent maestros that has groomed his musical talent to mastery.
Marked by the polished tonal grace, rhythmic elegance, depth as well as lucidity of expression, his sublime rendering is a result of rigorous practice and refinement under his father’s guidance. The musical guidance from the eminent soloists imbibed the subtleties of rendition par excellence. But this didn’t cease Panditji from being creative and adding his finesse through painstaking practice, assiduous assimilation and erudite presentation. His bansuri has echoed through ritzy auditoria, prominent global festivals and recording studios. The old and new finds the most evocative juxtaposition in his modest bamboo reed.
For his outstanding contribution to classical music, Sri Ravi Shankar Prasanna has been conferred upon with Surmani Award and won scholarship from Sahitya Kala Parishad. He has also won All India Music Competition organized by Akashwani, and since then he has been performing in All India Radio, Akashwani & Doordarshan. He has been dedicatedly serving All India Radio for the past twenty five years as ‘A’ Grade artiste.

A selfless teacher as he is, Sri Ravi Shankar Prasanna has been teaching music through the age old tradition of Guru Shishya Parampara over the past twenty five years. The principles by which he has lived and taught music, there’s a refreshing focus upon valuing essentials, rather than getting distracted by hype. The flautist embodies a combination of determination, self-assuredness and humility that is rare.He has trained several students who are making their mark all around the world with their awe-inspiring performances, which is indeed a matter of immense pride for him.
With the aim to promote Hindustani Classical Music, he has specially designed a curriculum that systematically features the step by step learning which will soon be available in the form of CD and book. This will go a long way in facilitating students who wish to learn the nuances of Hindustani Classical Music.

Pt. Ravi Shankar Prasanna has dedicated his life to share the three decades long expertise in music and disseminate the sacred knowledge to beginners as well as advanced level learners. If you wish to learn music from Sri Ravi Shankar Prasanna, you can cordially invite him. You can also invite him to conduct music workshop for a group of students. The objective of the workshop is not only to introduce students to the basic and complex methods of learning and performing Hindustani classical music but equip them with the necessary skills for progressing in their musical pursuit. Here is the snapshot of the workshop’s curriculum which can be customised as per the students participating in the workshop:

• Introduction to Hindustani Classical Music & its Tradition
Participating students are introduced to the various traditions and nuances of those traditions dedicated to classical music over thousands of years. All of this is taught theoretically with the help of various instruments.

• Improvisation
In the musical field, improvisation is the art of composing and recording in the same time; in other words, it is inventing in that time! The art of doing improvisations by following the set structures of presenting music either through alaap, taans is discussed with fine demonstrations to educate students about this segment. They also get to learn the cryptic craft of adding surest tihais. Furthermore, with the aid of audio-visual recordings students are made aware about the subtle differences in style and conceptions of music by several renowned artists of both vocal and instrumental Hindustani Classical Music.

• Gayaki
Indian musicians believe that singing, gayaki, is the ultimate, purest form of music, a gift from god. It remained the dream of all instrumentalists to be able to play in gayaki ang (vocal style) and sing through their instrument with the versatility of the human voice. For centuries, musicians attempted to create techniques and instruments which would recreate gayaki. As Gayaki being one of the most crucial parts of learning, here the students in the workshops will be exposed to the difference between the Badan ang, the Instrumental style and the Gayaki ang, the Vocal style. The students are meticulously taught the methods of conceiving while performing the Gayaki ang through diverse instruments.

• Taal
The rhythmic component of Hindustani music, taal! The students get a full length exposition of the major taals that sustain our music along with the insight into how to follow and use them while performing a raga.

• Riyaaz
With this culminates the workshop whereby students are guided and given instructions to be able to do rigorous dedicated riyaaz in order to perform each piece with great finesse. Learning never ends. To help students continue with their learning and practice, they are provided with valuable material, both printed and electronic, for further reference.