There’s something about the sea that captivates Anoushka Shankar. When we sat down in the lounge of a Bandra five-star hotel, we caught the musician looking at the sea adoringly. That prompted our first question: as someone who has never lived in Mumbai, how does she describe her relationship with the city? “I used to live in Delhi. But since I stopped living there, Mumbai has been the place I come in and out of the most for work. My axis has shifted a bit,” she smiled.
Soon, the renowned sitarist will shuttle in and out of Mumbai and other cities a bit more. On January 30, Anoushka will kick-start her Chapters Tour in Hyderabad, a six-city tour that celebrates her three-decade music career. Thirty years of performances have naturally changed her. “The intimacy between me and the sitar has deepened; there is trust, vulnerability. I’m more experimental, less afraid, but also more authentic,” she reflected.
That sense of self, she analysed, comes from growing up inside the industry. As sitar virtuoso late Pandit Ravi Shankar’s daughter, she was introduced to all of it — the instrument, the musical roots, the fame — early. “Starting young means you evolve in public. But over time, that comfort in who I am, that deepening with my craft, has grown.”
Music, with notes of politics
Over these three decades, Anoushka has noticed another change. In her 20s, activism and music were separate for the sitar player. Earlier, she would champion the causes close to her heart by leading a march or playing a benefit concert. But now, she sees her beliefs seep into her music. “My music started reflecting what I felt strongly about — the rage against the global refugee crisis, against violence towards women. If the music gets more personal, it also becomes more political,” she stated.
(Clockwise) Anoushka with parents Pandit Ravi Shankar and Sukanya Shankar
For long, she has spoken out on issues like Gaza and women’s rights. Today, in times of polarised thinking, she feels the urgency even more. “There has been such a shift to polarised thinking globally. Nuance has been eroded. It’s hard to speak about complex things and not be vilified or misconstrued. I don’t judge artistes who stay silent; it’s scary. I speak as much as I am able to. I’m aware of fear. But I also try to keep enough power, by having enough of a platform, to say as much as I can.”
Woman in a man’s world
“Keeping enough power” is something she practises online too. About a month ago, in an Instagram post, she opened up about the sexist comments she faces online and ended the note with celebrating her body that has endured so much. When we broached the subject, she incisively mentioned that social media has “normalised cruelty.” “There are things people wouldn’t say to your face but will type on a post. The decency is gone.”
But Anoushka is not taken aback by the rampant sexism. She has been dealing with this for decades. “I faced misogyny at 14, 15, 16 years, during press shoots and publicity. It’s so messed up. That’s why I speak about it now. I’m in my 40s, and I don’t give a f**k. I can say things I couldn’t at 16. I tell them so that the next line of women doesn’t have to go through what we did.”
Writing, for her, has become another form of catharsis. “When something flares up, I write. Sometimes the writer in me takes over from the musician. Words can give you closure in ways music can’t.” Maybe she could write a book, someday? “One day, I want to.”
She was flooded with sexist comments for posting this picture
The sitar and I
For now though, it’s music — specifically, her Chapters Tour, and The Ravi Shankar Ensemble that will kick off in spring 2026. Her mother Sukanya Shankar and she have curated the project in honour of her late father and the sitar virtuoso. “We wanted to continue my father’s legacy in a different way. He was a pioneer who introduced our music to the West. But he was also an incredible composer and guru.”
The tour features Shankar’s disciples performing his rare compositions. “It’s a way to experience his compositional legacy, pieces that no one performs, that you can’t hear anywhere else.” They will begin in the US, but she hopes to bring it to India.
As she carves her own space in the world of music and takes her celebrated father’s legacy ahead, it isn’t lost on Anoushka that few sitarists have broken into the mainstream. There is a reason for this. She observed, “There’s a mystique and reverence around Indian classical music because it’s sacred, but that also creates intimidation. You can pick up a guitar casually. A sitar? No chance.”
She believes the sitar should be freed from its classical confines. Her works are the perfect example of the wide sonic palette that it can be a part of. “People assume more of my music is classical than it actually is. Classical is at the root of everything I do, but I’ve only made four classical records.”
What has helped her and the current breed of Indian musicians is the evolving global landscape. She noted, “There’s a reclamation of Indian culture as cool and empowered in a way it wasn’t 20 years ago. When I was a teen, being Indian was nerdy in pop culture. Now the world’s understanding of India has broadened.”
‘Grammy’s bridesmaid’
At the 2025 Grammys, Anoushka bagged two nominations in the categories of Best New Age, Ambient or Chant Album, and Best Global Music Performance. Despite bagging 11 nominations over the years, she has never won. She joked about it once, calling herself “the Grammy’s bridesmaid.” Does she care anymore about the award? “Of course I care. Every time I’m nominated, I get excited. Every time I don’t win, I feel a little disappointed. It’s human. But I’ve had to work on not caring too much.”