MUMBAI: Padmabhushan award winner legendary Indian classical musician Annapurna Devi breathe her last, in the wee hours of this morning in Mumbai. She was admitted in Breach Candy hospital owing to various health issues and was in her early 90s at the time of her death.
Born in 1927 in Madhya Pradesh’s Maihar, Annapurna Devi was the youngest child of Ustad Baba Allauddin Khan, who played a key role in the establishment of the Senia-Maihar Gharana.
She was initially trained in Hindustani classical music by her father. She played bass sitar and was given the name ‘Annapurna’ by Maharaja Brijnath Singh, who was the former Maharaja of the Maihar state (Madhya Pradesh) of that time.
She married late Pandit Ravi Shankar in 1941 until their divorce in 1962. After her divorce, she didn’t give any performance in public, but shifted to Mumbai and turned a teacher. Nityanand Haldipur, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Nikhil Bannerjee etc and others are some of her noteworthy disciples.
She was honoured with the Padmabhushan award in 1977 for her exceptional contribution to Hindustani Classical music.