Reactions to sitar maestro Ravi Shankar's death

Sitar player Ravi Shankar performs with daughter Anoushka Shankar in Kolkata February 7, 2009.

NEW DELHI - Sitarist and composer Ravi Shankar has died near his home in southern California, his family said on Tuesday. He was 92.

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Following are reactions from political leaders and Bollywood celebrities:

MANMOHAN SINGH, prime minister's office, on Twitter

"Prime Minister condoles the passing away of Pandit Ravishankar - A national treasure and global ambassador of India's cultural heritage"

SHIV KUMAR SHARMA, santoor player, on television

"It is a great loss, not just to Indian music but to world music. He was a world musician"

SHASHI VYAS, organiser of several Ravi Shankar concerts, told Reuters

"We are all mortals, so is he, but his music is immortal. He was once asked by an interviewer, that your programs are always planned, there is nothing extempore. Pat came the reply ‘My program is planned, the music in that program is extempore'."

VISHAL DADLANI, Bollywood music composer, on Twitter

"The world's best-known exponent of Indian music, he influenced the Beatles, and hence everything since! RIP Pt. Ravi Shankar"

NIRUPAMA RAO, India's ambassador to the U.S., on Twitter

"Pandit Ravi Shankar: his last concert was particularly poignant. Anoushka and he played together in perfect unison. A torch was passed"

SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR, spiritual guru, on Twitter

"Pandit Ravi Shankar was a legend in music and he took classical music to new heights"

AMALA SHANKAR, Ravi Shankar's sister-in-law

"We had a sweet relationship that is usual of a sister-in-law and brother-in-law. He used to pose like Lord Krishna for me. He was above all like a friend. I remembered him and of our tours in Europe in the 1930s as a dance troupe when I was at Cannes Film Festival this year, visiting there after 81 years and I was walking the red carpet during the screening of the film on dance 'Kalpana' made in 1948 by my husband Uday Shankar."

TANUSREE SHANKAR, relative

"He was my father-in-law by relation. But he was very affectionate and would shower his love on me. He would ask me to cook his favourite fish dishes whenever he was in Kolkata and I would happily do it for him."

NARENDRA MODI, Gujarat chief minister, on Twitter

"Sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar was the legendary musician who gave new identity to Indian classical music. May his soul rest in peace."

HARI KUNZRU, novelist, on Twitter

"RIP Pandit Ravi Shankar. My father performed hand surgery on him. Stakes not low there..."

MILIND DEORA, Minister of State for Communications & IT

"Being a maestro wasn't his only achievement. Pandit Ravi Shankar sold Brand India better than anyone else. RIP"

(Compiled by India Online Team and Sujoy Dhar in Kolkata)