Famous pals: The sitar guru and the Beatle

Sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar and George Harrison of The Beatles began as mentor and student, and ended up close pals. They met in London and George Harrison then spent six weeks in India with Pandit Ravi Shankar learning to play the sitar.

In this photo, George Harrison sits cross-legged with his mentor Pandit Ravi Shankar in Los Angeles.

George Harrison had already grown fascinated with the sitar before he met Pt Shankar, and played the instrument with a Western sensibility on the song Norwegian Wood. He then sought out Pandit Ravi Shankar to teach him to play it properly.

This photo was tweeted by Punepedia @Punepedia

George Harrison's Indian influences can be heard on songs like Across The Universe and Within You, Without You which was featured on The Beatles' Grammy-winning album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

This photo was tweeted by The Beatles @BeatlesTweets

George Harrison and Pandit Ravi Shankar spent weeks together - first at George Harrison's house in England, then on a houseboat in Kashmir and later in California.

This photo was tweeted by George Harrison @FabGeorgeFacts

George Harrison and Pandit Ravi Shankar spent weeks together - first at George Harrison's house in England, then on a houseboat in Kashmir and later in California.

This photo was tweeted by George Harrison @FabGeorgeFacts

George Harrison and Pandit Ravi Shankar spent weeks together - first at George Harrison's house in England, then on a houseboat in Kashmir and later in California.

This photo was tweeted by George Harrison @FabGeorgeFacts

George Harrison and Pandit Ravi Shankar spent weeks together - first at George Harrison's house in England, then on a houseboat in Kashmir and later in California.

This photo was tweeted by George Harrison @FabGeorgeFacts

George Harrison and Pandit Ravi Shankar spent weeks together - first at George Harrison's house in England, then on a houseboat in Kashmir and later in California.

This photo was tweeted by George Harrison @FabGeorgeFacts

George Harrison and Pandit Ravi Shankar spent weeks together - first at George Harrison's house in England, then on a houseboat in Kashmir and later in California.

This photo was tweeted by George Harrison @FabGeorgeFacts