Legendary musician Annapurna Devi dies
Annapurna Devi, doyenne of classical Hindustani music, died in a Mumbai hospital early Saturday, according to India's media.
She was 92.
She was suffering from age related issues for the past few years, a spokesperson of Annapurna Devi Foundation, Mumbai said. According to Breach Candy hospital officials, Annapurna was declared dead at 3:51am, reports PTI.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee expressed grief on Annapurna Devi’s demise. “Saddened at the passing away of Annapurna Devi, the founder of Maihar Gharana. My condolences to her family and admirers,” she tweeted.
Music producer Durga Jasraj also mourned the death of the former wife of legendary sitar player Ravi Shankar. She posted on Twitter: "The most enigmatic musician Annapurna Deviji passed away leaving a rich legacy, her disciples include the great Pt Hariprasad Chaurasiaji. Hope her soul will fly high to its destination."
Annapurna, who was a recipient of the Padma Bhushan award, third-highest civilian award in India, was popularly addressed as ‘Ma’.
She was born in 1927 in Madhya Pradesh’s Maihar town to Ustad ‘Baba’ Allauddin Khan and Madina Begum and was the youngest of four children. World renowned maestro, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, was her sibling.
Annapurna Devi was a disciple of her father whose contribution to Indian music resulted in the Senia-Maihar gharana. Her training started early when she was around five years old and she graduated from the sitar to her chosen instrument, the surbahar.
She remained a recluse for most of her life. Much of her time was dedicated to teaching a small but select group of students.
Annapurna Devi was married to sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar for 21 years. They had son, Shubhendra ‘Shubho’ Shankar, who passed away in 1992. She later married Rooshikumar Pandya, a management consultant. Pandya passed away in 2013.
Annapurna Devi was honoured with Padma Bhushan award for her contribution to the field of Hindustani Classical Music.
She also contributed to music by teaching small groups of students. Some of her students include Aashish Khan (sarod), Amit Bhattacharya (sarod), Bahadur Khan (sarod), Basant Kabra (sarod), Hariprasad Chaurasia (bansuri), Jotin Bhattacharya (sarod), Nikhil Banerjee (sitar), Nityanand Haldipur (bansuri), Peter Klatt (sitar), Pradeep Barot (sarod), Sandhya Phadke (sitar), Saswatti Saha (sitar), Sudhir Phadke (sitar), Suresh Vyas (sarod), the spokesperson said.