Highlights:
- Anoushka Shankar found her sitar cracked after an Air India flight.
- She showed the damage in a short Instagram video.
- She said she had paid the handling fee and used her usual hard cases.
- Air India has started a review and is checking airport footage.
Anoushka Shankar has called out Air India after discovering her sitar badly cracked when she opened the case after a recent flight. She posted a video online showing the split running across the lower end of the instrument. The clip raised quick questions about how the airline handled it, especially since she said she paid the handling fee and used the same protective cases she always travels with.
Shankar said it was her first time choosing Air India in years, and that made the discovery harder to accept. She added that the sitar had travelled safely for more than a decade on other carriers without even a peg slipping.
Anoushka Shankar forces Air India investigation after her sitar arrives cracked despite paid handling Getty Images
Why Anoushka Shankar spoke out about the damage
In her video, Shankar said she first thought the sitar was out of tune. She tuned it, lifted it, and then saw the split running across the curved base. She asked Air India directly: “How have you done this?”
She wrote that she felt “devastated and truly disturbed” and wondered how such damage could happen without disregard. It was a pointed question, and one that struck a chord with other touring artists.
Classical instruments like sitars are handmade, temperamental, and expensive to repair. Players know every scrape on their instrument. So the idea that one could split inside a hard case is a serious concern.
How Air India responded to the complaint
Air India issued a short statement the following day. The airline said it regretted the distress caused and was engaging with Shankar to understand what happened. It also said CCTV footage at Delhi airport was being reviewed.
The airline noted that several stages of handling are involved in transporting large instruments, and it could not yet determine where the damage occurred. No timeline was mentioned for when the review would be completed.
That reply did little to quiet the reaction online. Musicians commented that cracked classical instruments are rare unless dropped or struck. Some asked the airline to explain its handling processes more transparently.
After her sitar arrives cracked Anoushka Shankar triggers Air India investigation into handlingGetty Images
What fans and fellow artists said after seeing the video
Comments flooded Shankar’s post within minutes. Zakir Khan wrote that the sight was “heartbreaking”. Vishal Dadlani echoed the same. Actor Lisa Ray called the situation “truly distressing”.
Air India launches probe after Anoushka Shankar shows her sitar cracked on arrivalGetty Images
Another musician wrote that it was “unbelievable” for the sitar to break inside a reinforced case. For an artist performing almost daily, that is no small disruption. Her post ends without anger, only a clear message: she expected better care.
Yami Gautam calls for unity in Bollywood while defending Dhurandhar Getty Images 
