Anoushka Shankar Gets Apology And Promises From Air India For Breaking Sitar

India-West News Desk

NEW DELHI – Anoushka Shankar’s sitar troubles this week set off a mix of shock, sympathy, and concern among musicians after the artist revealed that her instrument was badly damaged on a recent Air India flight.

Shankar shared the first post with clear frustration. “Devastated and truly disturbed by Air India’s treatment of my sitar,” she wrote, asking how such deep damage could happen “without willful disregard.” She said it felt especially sad because she had chosen to fly the airline again after many years. “It seems an Indian instrument cannot be safe with them,” she wrote, pointing out that she had taken thousands of flights on other airlines without even a peg going out of tune.”

In her video, she explained how she discovered the crack. At first, she only noticed her sitar was far out of tune. “After I tuned it and picked it up to play, that is when I realised,” she said. She called it the first incident of this kind in fifteen or seventeen years of flying with her sitar. Addressing the airline, she added, “You are the country this music belongs to. How have you done this?”

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A post shared by Anoushka Shankar (@anoushkashankarofficial)

Her disappointment was also emotional. “How on earth does damage like this happen,” she asked, adding that she uses special cases and pays handling fees to prevent exactly this outcome.

A day later, her tone softened when she posted an update. “First of all, thank you everyone for your commiserations and support,” she wrote. She said her sitar “may be saved” and praised craftsman Ajay Rikhiram, who is attempting to revive the instrument in time for her India Chapters tour.

She also confirmed that the airline had contacted her. “Air India has reached out with apologies, an offer to compensate for the repairs, and promises of a policy change,” she wrote. But she cautioned that real change would matter only if it helped every passenger, not just her.

Air India issued its own statement on Thursday, saying it had launched an investigation and was reviewing airport CCTV footage. “We are concerned to learn of a valued guest’s experience,” the airline said. It added that the cause of the damage was still unclear because multiple handlers were involved. The airline said it regretted the distress caused and was in direct contact with Shankar.