Air India says ‘unable to ascertain the cause of the damage’ after Anoushka’s sitar breaks in transit

New Delhi: A “devastated and truly disturbed” Anoushka Shankar has said that her sitar was damaged during an Air India flight, expressing her shock in a social media post in which she reminded the airline that “you’re the country this music belongs to”. She added that this was the first time in “15 or 17 years” that her instrument had sustained such damage while travelling.

The acclaimed musician shared a video on Instagram on Wednesday showing a deep crack across the lower rounded end of her sitar.

“First I was just looking at the top of my sitar and felt like it was really out of tune. And after I turned it and picked it up to play and that’s when I realised. This was my first time flying Air India after a long time. You’re the country this music belongs to and this is the first time anything like this has happened to my instrument in 15 or 17 years. How have you done this? I have special cases. You guys charge a handling fee and yet you’ve done this,” she said.

Shankar also voiced her disappointment that an Indian airline could mishandle an Indian instrument.

“I’m devastated and deeply troubled by @airindia’s handling of my sitar. How can such damage occur without negligence? It’s especially disheartening since I recently chose to fly Air India after a long time, yet it seems even an Indian instrument isn’t safe with them — after countless flights on other airlines without a single peg going out of tune,” she wrote.

While Shankar did not share details of her flight or destination, an Air India spokesperson said on Thursday that the airline had begun an investigation, including a review of CCTV footage at Delhi airport.

“We are concerned to learn of a valued guest’s experience with their musical instrument on a recent flight with us. We understand its cultural and personal significance, and deeply regret the distress this incident may have caused,” the spokesperson said.

“However, we are currently unable to ascertain the cause of the damage and are engaging with the guest to address the issue, while investigating further to understand where the damage may have occurred as multiple stakeholders and agents are involved in the handling of such items,” the statement added.

Shankar, daughter of the legendary Pandit Ravi Shankar and a globally celebrated sitarist in her own right, is scheduled to tour India across January and February, beginning with a performance in Hyderabad on 30 January.

The incident prompted an outpouring of support from fellow artists. Comedian Zakir Khan and singer Vishal Dadlani called the damage “heartbreaking”, while actor Lisa Ray described it as “truly distressing”. Singer Papon commented, “Genuine care feels so rare these days… it’s as if the very act of caring has faded from our lives! This is so heartbreaking @airindia.”

Shankar, 44, experienced travel problems last year as well. During the final stop of her European tour in Berlin, her luggage — containing all her clothing and her mizrabs, the custom-fitted finger picks essential for playing the sitar — went missing. She was eventually able to perform at her sold-out Berlin Philharmonic show after netizens helped her locate stores providing suitable clothing and supplies.