'Devastated and deeply troubled': Anoushka Shankar's sitar damaged on Air India flight, airline says it is investigating

New Delhi: A "devastated and truly disturbed" Anoushka Shankar has said her sitar was damaged on an Air India flight, telling the airline in a social media post that "even an Indian instrument isn't safe with them" and this is the first time in 15 or 17 years that this has happened.

The high-profile musician posted a video on Instagram on Wednesday showing a deep crack through the lower rounded end of the stringed instrument.

"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 in the video.

She also expressed her dismay that an Indian instrument could be mishandled by an Indian airline.

“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,” Shankar wrote.

Though she did not mention any details of her flight and where she landed, an Air India spokesperson said in a statement on Thursday that the airlines had initiated 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, a globally renowned sitarist and daughter of the legendary Pandit Ravi Shankar, has a series of concerts in India over January and February. The shows begin on January 30 in Hyderabad.

Several fellow artists echoed her shock at her instrument being damaged.

While stand-up comedian Zakir Khan and singer Vishal Dadlani described the incident as “heartbreaking", actor Lisa Ray called it “truly distressing".

Singer Papon too expressed his dismay, commenting below the post, “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, had faced travel troubles last year as well.

While in Berlin for the final show of her European tour, she lost her luggage, which contained all her clothes and her ‘mizrabs’ -- custom-fitted finger picks essential for playing her instrument.

Her call for help was answered by netizens who reached out to contacts in Berlin and suggested stores selling Indian clothing, enabling her to successfully perform at her sold-out concert at the Berlin Philharmonic.

There have been several instances of musicians finding that their precious instruments have been damaged in transit.

In 2010, for instance, sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan’s instrument was allegedly damaged by Air India in 2010. Four years later, his sarod went missing on a London-Delhi British Airways flight. It was later restored to him.

The sarod of another musician, Ustad Aashish Khan, suffered a snapped tail on an IndiGo flight in 2012 despite being clearly marked fragile and paid for as excess baggage.

In 2019, sitarist Pandit Shubhendra Rao's sitar was damaged on an Air India flight from New Delhi to New York