Ailing sitar maestro Ravi Shankar calls Amitabh Bachchan

Mumbai: Sitar maestro Pt Ravi Shankar, who has been unwell for sometime, called up Amitabh Bachchan wishing to speak to him, taking the Bollywood megastar by surprise.

Bachchan, who has been closely associated with Shankar`s family over the years, said the 92-year-old legend is in California for a surgery today. "Strangely, and for the first time, I had a call from the house of the great sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar. His wife Sukanya ji wanted to talk to me to get me to talk to Ravi Shankar ji, because he had expressed a desire to speak with me. He has been unwell she informed me and was going in for a surgery on Thursday. They are in California, USA. "This has been a most unusual occurrence. We all know Pt Ravi Shankar, who doesn`t? But I must admit that even though we have met on a few occasions, his association with my Father, our association with his elder brother the great dance exponent Uday Shankar, my own association with his son and daughter in law, and with Uday Shankar ji`s actress daughter... This has been the first time ever, when such a request was made to me," Bachchan posted on his blog. The 70-year-old actor reminisced about the times he had spent attending Ravi Shankar and other classical artistes` concerts in Kolkata and also his association with Uday Shankar, Ananda Shankar and other members of their family. "But tonight to get a call from this great master, this legend and icon of Indian music, must go down as one of my most privileged moments. He just wished to speak to me. He is unwell and shall be undergoing a surgery on Thursday. He said he and his wife loved my work... Whew !! ...And then he blessed me!" PTI