MUMBAI: Legendary musician Annapurna Devi died at Breach Candy hospital in Mumbai Saturday, hospital officials said. She was 91.World-renowned maestro, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, was her sibling.
Annapurna Devi had been suffering from various health problems owing to her old age.Annapurna Devi was an Indian surbahar player of Hindustani classical music and she was the daughter and disciple of Allauddin Khan.
A Padma Bhushan awardee, Annapurna Devi was born in Madhya Pradesh’s Maihar town to Ustad ‘Baba’ Allauddin Khan and Madina Begum.
Annapurna Devi was a disciple of her father whose inestimable contribution to Indian music resulted in the Senia-Maihar gharana.
She remained a recluse for most of her life. Much of her time was dedicated to teaching a small but select group of students.West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was one of the first politicians to condole her death.
She was married to sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar and had a son, Shubhendra ‘Shubho’ Shankar, who passed away in 1992. In 1982, she married Rooshikumar Pandya, a management consultant. Pandya passed away in 2013.
A recluse, Annapurna Devi counted popular names such as Aashish Khan (Sarod), Amit Bhattacharya (Sarod), Bahadur Khan (Sarod), Basant Kabra (Sarod), Hariprasad Chaurasia (Bansuri) among her students.
