Anoushka Shankar

Anoushka Hemangini Shankar was born in London and raised between London, Delhi, and later California, within an environment deeply immersed in music and culture. She began formal sitar training at the age of eight under her father’s guidance and one of his senior disciples and started accompanying him on stage as a tanpura player by the age of ten. Her first public sitar performance took place in New Delhi in 1995, accompanied by Ustad Zakir Hussain, marking the beginning of her professional career.

By her teenage years, she was performing internationally and recording with major labels, releasing her debut album, Anoushka, in 1998. Over the years, she expanded beyond pure classical performance into cross-cultural, electronic, and orchestral collaborations, working with artists such as Karsh Kale, Sting, Herbie Hancock, Norah Jones, and Nitin Sawhney, and orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra and Berliner Philharmoniker. She is the sole performer of her father’s sitar concertos since his passing and continues to champion his compositions worldwide.

In addition to performance, Anoushka Shankar has made significant contributions as a film composer, writer, activist, and educator. She has scored major international films and series, authored literary works, participated in humanitarian causes, and received numerous global honors, including multiple Grammy nominations, honorary doctorates, and academic appointments. Through sustained artistic innovation and deep classical grounding, she remains one of the most influential contemporary voices in Indian and global music.