Ravi Shankar
OMMA Catalogue Number
OMMA-0110
Artist
Ravi Shankar
Title
सितार – राग मारवा विलंपत / सितार – राग हमेन्त दरुत
(Sitar – Raga Marwa Vilambit / Sitar – Raga Hemant Drut)
Release Details
Issued in India by His Master’s Voice as a 10-inch, 78 rpm shellac record (N. 16996). The release presents Ravi Shankar as principal sitar performer under the credit “Pandit Ravi Shankar – Sitar,” with “Sitar – Raga Marwa Vilambit” on one side and “Sitar – Raga Hemant Drut” on the reverse.
Edition & Variant Identification
Original Indian His Master’s Voice 78 rpm commercial issue.
Matrix & Pressing Data
Side A Runout: OMC. 23093
Side B Runout: OMC. 23094
Physical Description
10-inch shellac 78 rpm record issued by His Master’s Voice, India, catalogue number N. 16996. The accession is housed in a generic sleeve. The record is in surprisingly good shape given its age, with crisp, clean labels and a shiny gloss on little-used shellac. This record, which is the example used for the photo on the release’s Discogs entry, has been stamped on both sides with a small ink stamp in illegible Hindi orthography.
Factory-Origin Characteristics
No factory-level anomalies reported.
Condition Report
The record is graded VG+, with light wear and superficial marks noted. Playback is described as strong for the grade, and the record is housed in a generic sleeve.
Provenance
Acquired by OMMA through Discogs from seller scarcesounds / Ross Laird on May 2, 2026. Laird is a recognized discographical researcher and dealer in historic recordings.
Market Context & Historical
Although Ravi Shankar had contributed to other recordings prior to this 1948 release, particularly as a ballet and film score composer, HMV India N. 16996 appears to be the earliest documented commercial record crediting Ravi Shankar as the principal performer under his own name. Issued on 10-inch shellac in India, it predates the vinyl LPs that introduced Shankar to a much larger international audience, including Three Ragas in the mid-1950s, as well as his famed mid-1960s festival performances at Monterey (1967) and Woodstock (1968).
Canonical Status in OMMA
OMMA recognizes HMV India N. 16996 as a canonical Ravi Shankar origin object: the earliest currently documented commercial record known that credits Shankar as the principal musical performer under his own name.
References and Source Documentation
Discogs. “Pandit Ravi Shankar – सितार – राग मारवा विलंपत / सितार – राग हमेन्त दरुत.”
https://www.discogs.com/release/12576656-Pandit-Ravi-Shankar
Discogs. “Pandit Ravi Shankar – सितार : राग मारवा / हमेन्त.”
https://www.discogs.com/release/21540253-Pandit-Ravi-Shankar
Polar Music Prize. “Ravi Shankar.”
https://www.polarmusicprize.org/laureates/ravi-shankar/
Google Arts & Culture / Indian Music Experience Museum. “Ravi Shankar @100: India’s Global Musician.”