SHAURYA SINGH THAPA
ANNAPURNA DEVI
A Forgotten Genius
Even though she was the daughter of Maihar gharana founder Ustad Allauddin Khan , Annapurna Devi ( who was born as Roshanara Khan ) carved her own niche with the Surbahar ( a kind of bass sitar ). Unlike other players of this particular instrument , Devi played the Surbahar in the style of Rudra Veena .
Despite her unique style and prowess , she couldn ’ t really achieve the mainstream success of her husband ( who was 21 at the time of marriage ) because her public events were extremely limited . And when Shankar decided to divorce her 41 years after their marriage , his wife was so devastated that she decided to never perform for the public at all .
Pandit Ravi Shankar is renowned all over the world as a sitar virtuoso , a legacy that carries on even after his death . While Shankar ’ s musical genius cannot be denied , it is interesting to note that another sitar maestro lived behind his shadow . Married to Shankar at the mere age of 14 , Annapurna Devi was considered to be one of the best practitioners of the instrument .
The Score Magazine
28 highonscore . com