20 Facts About Annapurna Devi

1.

Annapurna Devi was an Indian surbahar player of Hindustani classical music.

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2.

Annapurna Devi was the daughter and disciple of Allauddin Khan, the founder of Maihar gharana, and Madina Bibi and the first wife of the sitar player Ravi Shankar.

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3.

Annapurna Devi remained a private person, yet continued to teach music for free.

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4.

Annapurna Devi's students include many notable disciples including Hariprasad Chaurasia, Nityanand Haldipur and Nikhil Banerjee.

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5.

Annapurna Devi, born Roshanara Khan, on 15 April 1927 [confirmed by Lajo ji] at Maihar, a small princely state of British India.

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6.

Annapurna Devi's father Alauddin Khan was a royal court musician at the court of Maharaja Brijnath Singh, who named the newborn girl 'Annapurna'.

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7.

Annapurna Devi's father and guru Alauddin Khan, founder of the "Senia Maihar gharana" or "Senia Maihar School" of Hindustani classical music, was a noted musician and guru of Indian classical music.

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8.

Annapurna Devi's brother Ali Akbar Khan was a legendary Sarod maestro and was considered a "national living treasure" in India and the USA.

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9.

Annapurna Devi then switched to the surbahar which she played in the traditional style of a rudra veena.

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10.

Annapurna Devi was rewarded with a large tract of land for her performance.

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11.

On 15 May 1941, Annapurna Devi converted to Hinduism and married renowned sitarist, Ravi Shankar, in Almora.

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12.

Between 1946 and 1955, Annapurna Devi appeared on stage with Shankar in a handful of sitar-surbahar duets in Delhi and Bombay.

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13.

Annapurna Devi married Rooshikumar Pandya in Bombay on 9 December 1982.

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14.

Annapurna Devi died in 2013 suddenly of a cardiac arrest at the age of 73.

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15.

Annapurna Devi died of age related issues on 13 October 2018 in Mumbai.

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16.

Annapurna Devi became a very accomplished surbahar player of the Maihar gharana within a few years of starting to take music lessons from her father Alauddin Khan.

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17.

Annapurna Devi started guiding many of her father's disciples, including Nikhil Banerjee and Bahadur Khan, in classical music as well as in the techniques and intricacies of instrumental performances.

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18.

Annapurna Devi was an acclaimed instructor and one of the first women gurus of note in modern times.

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19.

Annapurna Devi's pupils were not restricted solely to sitar or surbahar players and encompassed various fields in Hindustani classical music.

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20.

Annapurna Devi was the key figure of Acharya Alauddin Music Circle, in Mumbai.

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