Anoushka Shankar, the acclaimed sitar virtuoso and Grammy nominee, took to social media with a heavy heart after her beloved instrument suffered serious damage during an Air India flight, despite her investment in special care for its transportation.

Multiple Grammy-nominated sitarist Anoushka Shankar has called out Air India after discovering severe damage to her sitar during a recent flight. Despite paying a special handling fee, the musician said she was “devastated” by the negligence and questioned how such damage could occur.

Musician expresses anger after discovering damage

Anoushka, daughter of the legendary Pandit Ravi Shankar, took to Instagram on Wednesday to share her frustrating experience. Posting a video of the damaged instrument, she explained how she initially noticed that her sitar was unusually out of tune, only to realise later that the instrument had cracked in multiple places.In the clip, she said, “This was my first time flying Air India in a long time. You’re the country this music belongs to. This is the first time anything like this has happened to my instrument in 15 or 17 years.”https://www.instagram.com/p/DRzTbmmjUig

‘How have you done this?’: Shankar questions airline

Pointing out visible cracks, Anoushka expressed disbelief that the damage occurred despite her using specialised protective cases and paying Air India’s handling fee. “How have you done this? I have special cases, you charge a handling fee and yet you’ve done this?” she asked publicly. She captioned her post, “Devastated and truly disturbed by @airindia’s treatment of my sitar. How on earth does damage like this happen without willful disregard?”

Fans and musicians rally behind her

The post quickly drew reactions from fans and fellow artists. Comedian Zakir Khan wrote, “This is extremely heartbreaking,” while composer Vishal Dadlani commented, “God, that’s heartbreaking! I’m so sorry.” Many followers urged Air India to take responsibility and address the situation immediately.

Fresh Grammy nominations add to spotlight

The incident occurred just weeks after Shankar received a slew of Grammy nominations for her new album, “Chapter III: Return to Light.” The project was created with sarod player Alam Khan and percussionist Sarathy Korwar and received a nomination for Best Global Music Album. Shankar is an influential figure in the world music community and has a unique sound that combines classical Indian traditions with modern elements.