Annapurna Devi passes away

A prominent figure of Hindustani classical music, Padma Bhushan Annapurna Devi passed away on Saturday, October 13 in Mumbai at the age of 91. Annapurna Devi, famously known as Guruma,  was trained in classical music at home by her father, Ustad 'Baba' Allauddin Khan. She became an accomplished Surbahar (bass sitar) player of the Maihar gharana in a very short time. Guruma was a teacher to popular names such as Nikhil Banerjee, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Nityanand Haldipur, Basant Kabra, Amit Bhattacharya, and Amit Roy.

Annapurna Devi was married to sitar maestro Ravi Shankar at the age of 15 in 1942. She disappeared from the public eye in the 1960s after her divorce from Ravi Shankar in 1962. Later in 1982, she married Rooshikumar Pandya, who passed away in 2013.

Unfortunately, there are only a few people who remember watching Guruma in concert. There is only one recording of her playing in existence. She was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1977 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1991. The Sangeet Natak Akademi appointed her as the prestigious 'Ratna' fellow in 2004.

West Bengal Chief Minister  Mamata Banerjee offered her condolences through Twitter. She wrote,“Saddened at the passing away of Annapurna Devi, the founder of Maihar Gharana. My condolences to her family and admirers”.