Sitarist to sue Air India for damage to instrument

Shubhendra Rao, who has lost three sitars in four years, is upset over the airline’s careless handling of fragile baggage

Musician Shubhendra Rao has slapped a notice against national carrier Air India after the airline failed to take any action three months after his sitar was damaged on the flight from Delhi to New York on November 1.

“I have given the airline two weeks to reply, failing which I will go to court,” says Rao, who is upset the company is hiding behind a rule that says any damage to a belonging has to be reported within one day of the journey.

“How can they expect us to unpack the baggage immediately after a 15-hour flight? I did call the airline within three hours of finding the instrument damaged, but got no response. I then tagged the airline and its top officials and posted my complaint on social media, but still got no reply,” says Rao.

Rao, who happened to know the Indian consul general in New York, contacted him and he, in turn, informed the airline.

Rao says he had no option but to send them a notice as they have remained unmoved by his repeated complaints.

“More than 50,000 petitions have been signed on Change.org, the media has widely reported it and Dr Sonal Mansigh (danseuse) has even raised it Parliament, but nothing seems to move the airline,” rues Rao.

“Ministers and officials are constantly on social media commenting and replying to every topic under the sun. But they haven’t responded to my complaint. They seem to be too busy with Kunal Kamra,” he says.

Stand-up comedian Kamra was recently banned by a few airlines, including Air India, for heckling TV anchor Arnab Goswami on a flight.

Ironically, when Rao was asked to perform the Indian national anthem on the occasion of the Brazilian National Day at the Brazilian Ambassador’s residence in Delhi in November, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri was one of the chief guests. “After the performance, the minister walked up to me and said it was the best rendering of the national anthem he had heard. It was only out of decency that I did not broach the topic of my sitar,” says Rao, who has lost his third sitar in four years due to careless handling by airlines.