Annapurna Devi rare performance Raag Kaushiki

Annapurna Devi (Devanāgarī:अन्नपूर्णा देवी) (born Roshanara Khan, Maihar, India, 1926) is a reclusive Surbahar (bass Sitar) maestro of Indian Classical Music.
Annapurna Devi represents a family of great tradition of Indian classical music. Her father and guru Ustad Alauddin Khan, founder of the "Senia Maihar Gharana" or "Senia Maihar School" of Indian classical music, was considered a singular phenomenon in the twentieth century Indian classical music. Her uncles Fakir Aftabuddin Khan and Ustad Ayet Ali Khan were revered musicians at their native place Shibpur in Bangladesh. Her brother Ustad Ali Akbar Khan is considered by many as one of the greatest living Sarode maestros. her former husband Sitarist Pandit Ravi Shankar is perhaps the most well-known Indian classical musician abroad.
Annapurna Devi was born in 1926 at Maihar, a small princely state of British India, (now a part of Madhya Pradesh state of India), where her revered father Ustad Alauddin Khan was a royal court musician at that time. But, her family has their ancestry in the village of Shibpur in the then British India, present Bangladesh. Annapurna Devi grew up in Maihar as Roshanara Khan. She was one of the daughters (Jahanara, Sharija, Roshanara) of Ustad Alauddin Khan. Sharija died an early death suffering from diseases in her childhood. When Alauddin's other daughter, Jahanara, got married, and a jealous mother-in-law burnt her Tanpura, Alauddin Khan decided not to train his other daughters. One day, however, he came home to discover Annapurna teaching her brother Ali Akbar Khan, and her talent made the emotional father change his mind. Annapurna, since then, started learning classical vocal music, Sitar, and Surbahar from her father.
Annapurna Devi became a very accomplished Surbahar player of the Maihar Gharana (school) within a few years of starting to take music lessons from her father, and started guiding many of his father's disciples, Pandit Nikhil Banerjee and Ustad Bahadur Khan) in classical music as well as in the techniques and intricacies of Sitar playing.
source: ttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annapurna_De vi
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She lives to impart her father's teachings. She said, once, when asked the reason why she chose the life of a recluse: "My father, during my years of studentship, would repeatedly tell me that music should not be treated as a product for public display. It was a means of achieving one's own fulfillment which should lead to one's own development as a human being."

Surbahar (Urdu: سربہار; Hindi: सुर बहार), sometimes known as bass sitar, is a plucked string instrument used in the Hindustani classical music of North India. It is closely related to sitar, but it has a lower tone. Depending on the instrument's size, it is usually pitched two to five whole steps below the standard sitar, but Indian classical music having no concept of absolute pitch, this may vary. The instrument can emit frequencies lower than 20 Hz.

Surbahar is over 130 cm (51 inches). It uses a dried pumpkin as a resonator, and has a neck with very wide frets, which allow a glissando of six notes on the same fret through the method of pulling. The neck is made out of tun (Cedrela tuna), or teak wood. It has four rhythm strings (cikari), four playing strings (the broadest 1 mm), and 15 to 17 unplayed sympathetic strings. There are two bridges; the playable strings pass over the greater bridge, which is connected to the tabli with small legs, which are glued in place. The sympathetic strings pass over the smaller bridge which is directly glued on the tabli. The main bridge has a slightly bended upper surface which results in a droning sound, because the vibrating span of the strings quivers ever so slightly. The instrumentalist plays the strings using a metallic plectrum, the mizrab, which is fixed on the index finger of whose right hand. Three plectrums are used to play the dhrupad style of alap, jor, and jhala on surbahar. In the dhrupad style, instead of performing the sitarkhani and masitkhani gats, the instrumentalist plays the slow dhrupad composition in accompaniment with pakhawaj.

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[anandjee]

She was one of the daughters (Jahanara, Sharija, Roshanara) of Ustad Alauddin Khan. Sharija died an early death suffering from diseases in her childhood. When Alauddin's other daughter, Jahanara, got married, and a jealous mother-in-law burnt her Tanpura, Alauddin Khan decided not to train his other daughters. One day, however, he came home to discover Annapurna teaching her brother Ali Akbar Khan, and her talent made the emotional father change his mind.

[nashadraza]

One of the reasons why we have not heard this great lady perform in public, was that she did not want to overshadow her husband Ravi Shanker. It is said that one day Allaudin Khan Sahib became very irritated with Ravi Shanker for not grasping something he was trying to teach him. Finally he said: go learn this from Annapurna. Annapurna heard this and vowed never to play the sitar (that is why she played the Surbahar), as she loved Ravi Shanker so much. So there you have it.

[karanqs]

unbelievable she was also the guru mata of Pt hari prashad chaurasia  Ravi Khanna

[khakiaflaki]

thank you so much for posting this

[naveenct100]

thank you so much for sharing this. god bless you.

[asitananda]

I feel lucky to listen this wonderful playing and feel sorrow at the same time thinking how t a great talent was not blossomed.

[tas2305]

@anandjee Sharija did not die at early age. She had children, She was always living in Brahmanbaria, Bangladesh. Her great grand children are even grown up teenagers now.

[Bassist10288]

@derubala i'd never heard of her and barely know anything about indian classical music, though i have a sitar, but when i head this i was so moved. that sheer trill and emotion makes my whole body tingle to the slightest waves of what she's laying down. she's incredible

[murlikrishnasharma]

@anandjee Great. Rare & privileged clipping. I had only heard about the great Annapurna ji but never heard her playing. u have given this opportunity. Soul enriching music, real shastriya sangeet. Such recordings should be shared & also CDs cut for public. Thnx.