Annapurna Devi, Indian classical musician
Indian classical musician

Annapurna Devi

Born 23 April 1927 · Madhya Pradesh — Died 13 October 2018

Mastered and popularized the surbahar in Hindustani classical music under Ustad Allauddin Khan's tutelage.

Annapurna Devi was an Indian surbahar player of Hindustani classical music. She was given the name 'Annapurna' by Maharaja Brijnath Singh of the former Maihar Estate, and it was by this name that she was popularly known. She was the daughter and disciple of Ustad Allauddin Khan, and the sister of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. Pandit Ravi Shankar was her first husband, with whom she had a son, Shubhendra Shankar, who was an artist and a sitarist.

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A detail that
surprised us

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Although a surbahar maestro, Annapurna Devi never performed publicly after her marriage to Ravi Shankar, choosing instead to dedicate her life to teaching.

The Story

1
In 1927, in the princely state of Maihar, Madhya Pradesh, the newborn Roshanara Khan was named 'Annapurna' by Maharaja Brijnath Singh, a title that would outlast her birth name and define her musical identity.
2
🎵 As a child, she corrected her prodigy brother Ali Akbar Khan during his rigorous 18-hour sarod riyaz, a moment that convinced her father Ustad Allauddin Khan to teach her the surbahar—a rare instrument reserved for the most intricate Beenkar style.
3By the 1940s, she had transitioned from sitar to surbahar under her father's insistence, preserving the Wazirkhani Beenkar tradition, a style linked to the legacy of Mian Tansen through her father's guru, Ustad Mohammad Wazir Khan.
4Despite being married to sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar and mother to sitarist Shubhendra Shankar, Annapurna Devi chose near-total silence on stage, focusing on teaching disciples like Nikhil Banerjee and Hariprasad Chaurasia rather than public performance.

🏅 Awards & Honours

1977
Padma Bhushan

🔍 One thing most people don't know

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In childhood, she corrected her brother Ali Akbar Khan’s sarod practice notes despite no formal training, an incident that led her father to hand down the surbahar legacy to her in 1937.

🖼️

Through the Years

3 photographs from the archives
Ravi Shankar and Annapurna Devi in one of their last concerts together.
Ravi Shankar and Annapurna Devi in one of their last concerts together.
An Archival photo of Legendary Sitar Maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar with his first wife Legendary Surbahar Maestro Vidushi Annapurna Devi
Musical legacy Baba Allauddin Khan with daughter Annapurna Devi.

🗓️ A Life in Moments

🕊️
Birth
Birth in Maihar, Madhya Pradesh
Born as Roshanara Khan, she was named 'Annapurna' by Maharaja Brijnath Singh at Maihar estate where her father was royal court musician.
1927
⚡
Career
Shifted from sitar to surbahar
Her father Ustad Allauddin Khan chose the surbahar for her to carry forward the complex Wazirkhani Beenkar style.
1937
Marriage to Pandit Ravi Shankar
Other
Marriage to Pandit Ravi Shankar
She converted to Hinduism and officially took the name Annapurna Devi on marrying sitar maestro Ravi Shankar.
1941
⚡
Career
Focused on teaching over performing
Annapurna Devi chose a private life, teaching disciples like Nikhil Banerjee and Hariprasad Chaurasia instead of public concerts.
1950
🕊️
Death
Death of Annapurna Devi
Passed away, leaving behind a legacy as a surbahar maestro and teacher in Mumbai, India.
2018
🌟
Other
Speech as Union Minister
Delivered a rare public speech in Parliament linking her cultural heritage to women and child development policies.
2019
More moments to come...
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🗝️Discoveries

Swipe to uncover hidden stories
01 / 04
🔍LESSER KNOWN

Annapurna Devi was legally named 'Annapurna' only after converting to Hinduism on her wedding day to Ravi Shankar, replacing her birth name Roshanara Khan.

02 / 04
🌍HISTORICAL IMPACT

Her father, Ustad Allauddin Khan, chose the surbahar for her because it was appreciated only by connoisseurs, warning her that common audiences might even throw tomatoes during performances.

03 / 04
🏆ACHIEVEMENT

She was the only known female maestro of the surbahar during the 20th century, a period when this instrument was nearly extinct in public performance.

No quote recorded for Annapurna Devi yet.

🎙️ Speeches & Recordings

These recordings preserve the legacy of Bharat's icons
A genius silenced by fame - Annapurna Devi -The Pathbreakers-Ep 07
·YouTube
More from this archive
A genius silenced by fame - Annapurna Devi -The Pathbreakers-Ep 07
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A genius silenced by fame - Annapurna Devi -The Pathbreakers-Ep 07
YouTube
Last Interview with Padma Bhushan Maa Annapurna Devi|| Daughter of Baba Allauddin Khan||
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Last Interview with Padma Bhushan Maa Annapurna Devi|| Daughter of Baba Allauddin Khan||
YouTube
ALLAUDDHIN KHAN teaching ANNAPURNA DEVI
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ALLAUDDHIN KHAN teaching ANNAPURNA DEVI
YouTube
#परिचय #part68 #biography #brief #Shrimati #AnnapurnaDevi #Indianclassical #Music #VedangDharashive
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#परिचय #part68 #biography #brief #Shrimati #AnnapurnaDevi #Indianclassical #Music #VedangDharashive
YouTube

🌱 What changed because of them

Annapurna Devi preserved the rare Wazirkhani Beenkar style of surbahar playing, directly mentoring leading figures like Nikhil Banerjee and Hariprasad Chaurasia, which ensured the survival of a unique musical tradition. Her refusal to perform publicly shifted the focus toward pedagogy within the Maihar Gharana, influencing Hindustani classical music by creating a lineage of masterful disciples. Additionally, her later role as a Union Minister connected her cultural legacy with contemporary social issues in India.

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