Pandit Vijay Raghav Rao (November 3, 1925 - November 30, 2011) was an Indian flutist, composer, choreographer, musicologist, poet and fiction writer. He was born in Madras (now Chennai), India. Pandit Vijay Raghav Rao was a recognized flutist, choreographer, and composer of innovative Hindustani classical music, and well known both in India and outside. He has composed music for several Indian and international films, choreographed ballets and has experimented with Indian classical music. At the age of 22, he conducted the national anthem that ushered in India's independence in 1947. He worked with Pandit Ravi Shankar in composing music for the oscar winner, Gandhi. He received praise for scoring music for the multicultural ballet venture, Jungle Book received critical acclaim. Pt Vijay Raghav Rao has also published poetry and essays in several languages. His disciples include G S Sachdev, Ronu Majumdar, Deepak Ram. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.