 She was the sister-in-law of sitar player Ravi Shankar and the mother-in-law of violinist L. Subramaniam (her daughter Viji (Vijayashree Shankar) Subramaniam being his first wife).Born in 1921, Lakshmi started her career in dancing.Her father Bhimrao Shastri was a noted Sanskritist who took active participation in India's struggle for freedom and was a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi.