A Glimpse into Sitar Maestro Anoushka Shankar's Musical Journey

Indian Classical Music has echoed far and wide, beyond the shores of the country, for centuries. Classical music of India possesses the gravitas of spirituality and elegancy. That being said, it is brilliant in its formation and exciting in its nuances. India saw the birth of many iconic maestros in classical music. These maestros have sailed the far oceans and ensured that the world hears what Indian ragas and beats sound like.

Sitar, a heavenly instrument which has been used as both an accompanying instrument and a solo instrument, has been one of the most fascinating Indian classical instruments.

Anoushka Shankar, the daughter of the legendary Pt. Ravi Shankar, is our generation's Sitar maestro. She was born in the year 1981. Sukanya Shankar is her mother. Pt. Ravi Shankar, the eminent Sitar meastro was 61 years old when Anoushka was born. She is also the half-sister of American singer Norah Jones and Shubhendra "Shubho" Shankar.

Anoushka is popularly known as a British Indian sitar player and composer. She was born in London. She spent her childhood swinging between London and Delhi. Anoushka graduated in 1999 and decided to skip college to pursue a career in music.

Career and Creations

She laid her hands on the Sitar at the age of seven under the guidance of her father Ravi Shankar. She took to performing in front of the public for the first time on February 27, 1995, at the age of 13, at Siri Fort in New Delhi as a part of her father's 75th birthday celebration concert. For this solo debut, she was accompanied by tabla maestro Zakir Hussain.

Her first album, 'Anoushka', was released in the year 1998. It was followed by 'Anourag' in 2000. Apart from music Anoushka has always been in the forefront when it comes to raising her voice against abuse. In the year 2013, the sitar exponent revealed that she was sexually abused as a child. This implies that, her song, Sister Susannah, which was released in the song 2020, was in the process of making for years.

The poet Nikita Gill wrote Sister Susannah. It is recited in spoken word by Anoushka over loops of the sitar. The track demonstrates a satirical perspective from the point of view of a controlling man. In an interview, she said, "It creates this tension in the song, which I hope will broaden the conversation around abuse and violence."

In the year 2007, Shankar collaborated with Indian producer, composer and musician, Karsh Kale. This led to the release of 'Breathing Under Water' on 28 August 2007. It is a fusion of classical sitar and electronica beats and melodies. Notable guest vocals included her paternal half-sister Norah Jones, Sting, and her father, who performed a sitar duet with her.

The year 2011 led Shankar to sign with record label Deutsche Grammophon as an exclusive artist. This marked the beginning of a prolific recording and creative period for Shankar. During this time she continued to refine and enhance the sitar sound and musical ideas she had become known for. She earned a third Grammy Award nomination in 2013 for Traveller, an exploration of the shared history between flamenco and Indian classical music, which was produced by Javier Limón and featured artists such as Buika, Pepe Habichuela and Duquende.

Contribution to Films

The musician has also composed for many films. Shankar's efforts in composition for films led her to produce the score for the British Film Institute's restoration of rare Indian silent 'Shiraz: A Romance of India' (Original 1928, scored in 2017). The maestro also performed the composition live at screenings of the movie that was premiered as 2017's London Film Festival Archive Gala and then appeared at the global film festival We Are One on 2 June, 2020.

International Performances

Throughout her journey so far she has been invited to perform in prestigious International benefit concerts. In the year 2000, she was seen in the stage along with Madonna and Bryan Adams at the Summer's Tibetan Peace Garden Benefit concert organised in London by Sting's wife Trudie Styler. On 29 Novemeber, 2022, Shankar was the featured performer of the "Indian" half of the Concert for George, a posthumous tribute to the life and music of George Harrison, held at the Royal Albert Hall in London. She opened the show by playing a solo sitar instrumental titled "Your Eyes".

In the year 2002, she performed alongside Patti Labelle, Elton John, Nina Simone and others for Rock for the Rainforest, the benefit concert organized by Sting and Trudie Styler at Carnegie Hall.

Shankar was invited by Richard Gere and Philip Glass to perform in a concert at Avery Fisher Hall in 2003 in aid of the Healing the Divide: A Concert for Peace and Reconciliation.

In one of her recent projects, Anoushka featured in Arooj Aftab's song 'Udhero Na', which has been submitted for consideration to the Grammys. Prior to this, Arooj Aftab won the Grammy for Best Global Performance.

Awards and Achievements

Shankar's music has demonstrated spiritual and charismatic musicality which won her a variety of prestigious awards. This includes Woman of the Year award in the year 2003 on International Women's Day in India, six Grammy Awards nominations, recognition as the youngest and first female winner of the British House of Commons Shield, and the Songlines Best Artist Award. She was the first Indian musician to perform at the prestigious Grammy Awards. Adding to that, she has been nominated 7 times for the Grammy Awards. In 2018 she won the 3rd Eastern Eye Arts, Culture & Theatre Awards (ACTA) for the score to 1928 BFI film 'Shiraz'. In July 2021, she received the Honorary Membership of the Royal Academy of Music (Hon RAM) award.

This is just a fraction of what the musician has achieved and produced so far. Her journey has inspired many musicians and made millions proud. Her music has also been a source of healing for many. Her musical journey continues and is likely to yield much more in the future.

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