Sitar Star

VANITIES

Anoushka Shankar comes full circle

That she sat still as a child at her father’s feet, both as daughter and student, is not surprising—her father, after all, is Ravi Shankar, the sitar maestro greatly credited with bringing Indian classical music to the West. But that Anoushka, 19, has followed in her father’s giant footsteps so surely, so swiftly, is remarkable, even touching. “It’s been a special relationship, for both of us,” says Anoushka. She’s just released her second album, Anourag, and will be joined by her father, now 80, on a “Full Circle” tour across America this fall.

Keeping it in the family has also prevented Anoushka from being fazed by her rare status as a female sitarist. “Because it’s what my dad does, the way I see it, it was more of a default thing than trailblazing. But now little girls are coming up to me and saying they want to play the sitar.” She’s also introducing the exquisite sound of the ancient, multi-stringed instrument to a new generation. Yet, like her father, she has remained faithful to her roots. “I believe in keeping to the traditional music in the sense that I think it’s right for me. I don’t know what’s going to happen in 20 years.” Clearly, she’s learned from a master—it’s enough to make any father proud.

ANDERSON TEPPER