Mumbai, Dec 6 (NationPress) Renowned sitar virtuoso, composer, and Grammy nominee Anoushka Shankar has shared her distressing encounter where her sitar was damaged by an airline's crew.

On Saturday, she took to her Instagram account, sharing a collection of images and videos documenting her journey with her sitars and their protective cases.

In her lengthy caption, she expressed her gratitude towards Ajay Rikhiram @rikhiramoriginals for restoring her sitar. She noted, “It’s been a whirlwind few days- I’m incredibly thankful to Ajay Rikhiram @rikhiramoriginals for reviving my sitar. I’m awaiting the polish to completely dry before I can play it properly, but it appears it will survive! I must emphasize that while this incident involved Air India, I have faced numerous unfortunate events with various airlines over the years. Over fifteen years ago, I invested in a large, cumbersome yet exquisite flight case that, while inconvenient for travel, ensured my instrument's safety.”

She revealed that a decade later, she commissioned custom, robust yet lightweight carbon fiber cases for her sitars, which significantly improved her travel experience. After experiencing the mishap of having both her father's and her sitars damaged on the same Air France flight years ago, she began to travel with two instruments.

She elaborated, “I always transport one sitar in the hold and one in a seat. I even have a sitar technician accompany me to address any issues upon arrival. It’s a tremendous privilege to tour this way, one that I recognize many musicians cannot afford. However, I must admit that these decisions are also a forced ‘choice’ that impacts my income significantly. I wouldn’t be able to tour as I do without implementing these precautions since airlines generally neglect the care of musical instruments.”

“This is why I’m relieved I shared a video revealing the nearly disastrous crack on my sitar. The situation would have been much worse had I not been able to pay excess baggage fees for a second sitar or had a platform that led the airline to respond to my complaint. If there’s one positive takeaway, I hope Air India will uphold their promise to revise their internal handling policies for musicians and that other airlines will follow suit. In an artistic environment where touring is nearly impossible for many musicians, this is the least they can do,” she remarked.

Previously, Anoushka posted a video on Instagram showing deep cracks in her sitar after a flight. She stated she noticed tuning issues first, and upon attempting to play it, discovered the damage. She mentioned this was the first incident of such a nature in 15–17 years, despite utilizing a specialized protective case and paying a “handling fee.”

She described the event as “devastating and deeply troubling,” attributing the fault to the airline's negligence. She also expressed disappointment that “even an Indian instrument isn’t safe” with an Indian airline.