Shankar, born in 1932 in Peel Avenue, Kuala Lumpur, grew up in a Brahmin family and quickly learned Tamil, Malayalam, Cantonese, and Malay from his diverse group of friends. His education at Pasar Road School was interrupted by World War II, but he returned in 1942, where he learned Japanese.
After the war, Shankar joined Victoria Institution, excelling in debating and drama, and became the V.I. Rodger Scholar in 1951. Initially aspiring to study medicine in Edinburgh, he switched to law at his father's insistence and studied in Singapore on a government scholarship. He was called to the Bar of the Inner Temple in 1955 and the Malayan Bar in 1956, joining Shearn Delamore and Company, where he became a partner in 1961.
Shankar was appointed as a High Court Judge in 1983 and served in various states until he was elevated to the Court of Appeal in 1994, retiring in 1997. He also contributed as a Royal Commissioner and Advisory Editor for Halsbury's Laws of Malaysia.
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