Summer of 69 was one of the greatest events: Ravi Shankar

New Delhi: Sitar legend Pandit Ravi Shankar, one of the few Indians to have taken part in the iconic Woodstock Festival 40 years ago, says it was among the greatest events ever, though musically he rates it lower than the Monterey Pop Fest of 1967. August 15 this year will be the 40th anniversary of the

festival where Ravi Shankar was the only Indian instrument artist to participate. "Though, musically, it wasn`t great compared to the earlier Monterey Pop Festival, Woodstock Festival `69 was one of the greatest events ever!" Shankar told reporters. Accompanied by the great Ustad Alla Rakha on the tabla, Shankar was party to both the events, a feat which was quite unusual for a classical musician. The groundbreaking festival, held on a hay field in Bethel owned by a dairy farmer, from August 15-18, 1969, saw the congregation of musicians and bands like Joan Baez, Richie Havens, The Who, Grateful Dead, Santana, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin besides over four lakh people who converged at the rural corner 80 miles northwest of New York City. The Indian duo played on the first day as rains lashed the venue. The legendary sitarist along with Khan mesmerisedthe gathering by improvising on a mix of ragas. Bureau Report