Baba Allauddin Khan’s daughter, Pandit Ravi Shankar’s first wife, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan’s sister, representative of Maihar-Senia Gharana – Annapurna Devi has an illustrious lineage. And she is a star in her own right – she is the only female surbahar player in the country. Yet Annapurna’s life is shrouded in mystery. Though she is a true guru to her shishyas, to others she is an eccentric recluse or simply too strong minded. This first authorised biography offers a glimpse into her life, not to reveal or to shock but to set the record straight – her turbulent years with Ravi Shankar, the death of her only son, her single-minded pursuit of music and a life in seclusion. Drawing on interviews with Annapurna Devi and her family members, admirers, critics and students, Swapan Kumar Bondyopadhyay offers an absorbing portrait of a brilliant individual, who shuns public performances devoting her time instead to her music, her students and to keeping her father’s legacy alive.
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