Hindustani classical music's most widely beloved and influential modern figure, Ravi Shankar was a composer and sitar player of the highest order, and among Indian musicians had the largest effect on Western music in the late 20th century. Beginning in the '50s, Shankar became Indian music's most prominent cultural ambassador, attracting students including young composer Philip Glass. Soon, Shankar introduced the sitar and the raga form to young Western audiences, due in large part to Beatle George Harrison's interest in Shankar's work.