Undated image of the iconic sitar player Ravi Shankar. Ravi Shankar playing a classical Indian raga on sitar. Ravi Shankar (born April 7th, 1920) is an Indian musician and composer who plays the plucked string instrument sitar. He has been described as the most known contemporary Indian musician. Shankar is considered one of the top sitar players of the second half of the 20th century. He became known for a distinctive playing style in the middle and high registers that uses quick and short deviations of the playing string and his sound creation through stops and strikes on the main playing string.