L. Shankar

L. Shankar, also known as Shenkar, was born in Madras and grew up in Jaffna, where his father V. Lakshminarayana taught at the Jaffna College of Music. He studied vocal music, violin, and mridangam from early childhood.

Shankar became known internationally through classical and cross-genre work, including his place in the original Shakti constellation and later collaborations across jazz, rock, pop, film, and world music.

He designed the ten-string stereophonic double violin, also called L. Shankar's Double Violin. The instrument covers a broad orchestral string range, allowing him to move between bass, cello, viola, and violin registers in performance.

His work includes classical albums, international collaborations, film music, and recent releases that continue his lifelong exploration of Carnatic music's expressive reach in global idioms.