Ragini Shankar

Ragini Shankar was born into a family with a musical tradition that goes back more than seven generations. She began learning Hindustani classical violin at the age of four under her grandmother, Padmabhushan Dr. N. Rajam, and her mother, Dr. Sangeeta Shankar. Both are established violinists. Her training follows the Gayaki Ang style, which brings the qualities of vocal music onto the violin, focusing on smooth tone, meend (glides), and expressive phrasing.

She gave her first public performance at the age of eleven at Bharat Bhavan in Bhopal. Since then, she has performed at major music festivals and venues in India and abroad, including Europalia, the Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Festival, the Dover Lane Music Conference, the Saptak Festival of Music, the Theatre de la Ville in Paris, the Theatre de l'Alhambra in Geneva, MilapFest, and the Temple of Fine Arts. Her international performances have taken her to the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Hungary, Singapore, Malaysia, and Dubai.

Along with concerts, Ragini regularly conducts workshops and lecture-demonstrations, explaining Hindustani music, violin technique, and the Gayaki Ang method. Her work also includes collaborations beyond the classical stage. She and her sister Nandini Shankar perform as the ensemble Taraana, which has been signed by Decca Records US for a full-length album. She is also part of lyricist Irshad Kamil’s The Ink Band, the Indo-French project Sangata led by composer Thierry Pecou, and the fusion group inStrings.

Ragini has spoken about Indian music on platforms such as Talks at Google and TEDx. She taught at Whistling Woods International—School of Music in Mumbai for six years and now teaches at the Rajam School of Violin.

She holds a degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in music. Her recordings include classical, semi-classical, and fusion works such as Asha, Raga of the Rain, Devi Bhajan in Raga Rageshri, Neelambari Live, and singles released with Taraana under Decca Records US.

Her awards include the Aditya Birla Kala Kiran Award (2019), the Jashn-e-Youngistan Award presented by the Vice President of India (2018), and the Jaya Smriti Award (2012). Based in Mumbai, Ragini Shankar’s career brings together traditional Hindustani training, international performance, teaching, and contemporary collaboration.