‘Devastated’: Musician Anoushka Shankar calls out Air India after her sitar gets damaged during flight

Grammy-nominated sitarist Anoushka Shankar has publicly accused Air India of mishandling her instrument, after she discovered significant cracks in her sitar following a recent flight. She shared a video on Instagram, expressing shock and dismay: “This was my first time flying Air India in a long time… after 15 or 17 years, this is the first time anything like this has happened to my instrument.”

In her post, Shankar pointed out that she always travels with a hard, protective case and paid a handling fee for extra care — yet found her instrument damaged on arrival. “How have you done this? I have special cases, you charge a handling fee and yet you've done this?” she asked, underlining the emotional attachment she holds with her sitar.

The appeal from a musician of global stature

Shankar wrote in the caption that she was “devastated and truly disturbed” by what happened. She said it felt particularly painful because she chose to fly Air India after a long gap; “it seems an Indian instrument can’t be safe with them,” she lamented, adding that she has travelled on “thousands of flights” with other airlines without even a peg on her sitar going out of tune.

Her revelation has reopened a long-standing debate over how airlines handle fragile musical instruments. Many Indian musicians have previously complained of damage or loss when travelling, especially on flights where instruments must be checked in as cargo rather than carried onboard.

Watch the video here:

Surge of support and outrage online

The post has sparked a wave of reactions from fellow musicians, fans and social-media users — many expressing solidarity and frustration. Comments under her post reflect anger and sympathy, with users calling the situation “unbelievable” and demanding accountability from the airline.

Musician Anvita Shankar wrote, “This is unbelievable. How terribly @airindia must’ve handled the sitar for this to happen inside those secure hard cases!!?? I’m so sorry.”

Musician Vishal Dadlani wrote, “God, that’s heartbreaking! I’m so sorry.”

The third user wrote, “Oh man!!!! This hurts 😢 I am so sorry to hear this!”

Not the first incident

Classical musician Arnab Bhattacharya found the oversized bag carrying his sarod broken and the instrument damaged when he reached Abu Dhabi.