Musician Anoushka Shankar recently denied claims that sitarist Rishab Rikhiram Sharma was a disciple of her father, the legendary Pandit Ravi Shankar. While praising his talent, she maintained that her father was never formally his guru.
Now, Rishab has responded with an official statement and shared photographs with the late maestro, asserting that he was indeed accepted as a disciple through a traditional Ganda Bandhan ceremony.
Rishab, who comes from the Rikhi Ram family of instrument makers and is known as the first sitarist to perform a solo set at the White House, saw his claim of being Pandit Ravi Shankar’s last and youngest disciple questioned by Anoushka in a recent interview.
Rishab releases detailed statement
In a detailed statement, Rishab’s team said, “On 3rd January 2012, at the Ravi Shankar Centre (Saraswati Pooja Hall), a private meeting was held at the express request of Pandit Ravi Shankar between 13-year-old Rishab Rikhiram Sharma, his parents Sanjay and Manjul Sharma, his brother Mukul Sharma, Pandit Parimal Sadaphal, Shruti Sadamal, and Panditji with his wife Sukanya Shankar. This followed a personal call from Panditji to Sanjay Sharma on 2nd January, requesting Rishab’s presence for the Ganda Bandhan ceremony the next day. ”
The statement further claimed, “Sukanya Shankar noted that during their stay in the USA she had shown Panditji a YouTube recording of Rishab performing Raag Tilak Kamod at a Sanjay Rikhi Ram Vadya Parampara event in New Delhi on 10th February 2011. After reviewing the recording again on the morning of 3rd January, Pandit Ravi Shankar decided to accept Rishab as a Shishya, intending to personally nurture his potential.
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Detailing the ceremony, the note added, “He asked Rishab to perform the same raag, listened attentively, demonstrated and corrected the composition, and conducted a formal lesson lasting several hours. Panditji clarified that while he might not always be physically present, Pandit Parimal Sadaphal would supervise structured training, with periodic remote progress reviews. The session culminated in the formal Ganda Bandhan ceremony, during which Panditji tied the traditional red thread around Rishab’s wrist and spoke of Kartavya Vidya, emphasizing that while the thread may physically break, the spiritual Guru-Shishya bond endures for life.
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Public acknowledgment and continued training
The statement also referenced a public event, saying, “On 10th February 2012, at a Sanjay Rikhi Ram Vadya Parampara event held at Kamani Auditorium, Pandit Ravi Shankar publicly introduced 13-year-old Rishab Rikhiram Sharma on stage as his youngest disciple, in the presence of Sukanya Shankar, members of the Sharma family, fellow disciples, and the assembled audience. This marked Panditji’s final public appearance in India before relocating to his overseas residence in the United States. ”
It concluded, “Following Pandit Ravi Shankar’s passing in December 2012, Rishab was invited by Sukanya Shankar to perform at the maestro’s memorial gathering at Nehru Park on 10th March 2013, alongside other disciples from Panditji’s extended teaching lineage. From 2013 onwards, Pandit Parimal Sadaphal continued Rishab Rikhiram Sharma’s training in accordance with the guidance and directives of Pandit Ravi Shankar, a mentorship that has persisted to date.
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Anoushka Shankar questions disciple claim
Earlier, in an interview with Humans of Bombay, Anoushka had said, “Rishab is really talented and he is clearly speaking to people in a really wonderful way. I think there is some misunderstanding about his guruship. He learnt very intensively with someone very dear to me, one of my father’s senior disciples Parimal Sadaphal, and he had a couple of lessons with my father, very informally, with Parimal uncle also in the room. ”
She added, “We knew him from childhood because he was the son of our instrument maker Sanjay Rikiram Sharma. So somehow that has gone blown up into some story of him being his last disciple or the youngest disciple, which isn’t true. But he is super talented and deserves all success with or without that story.”
The contrasting accounts have sparked conversations within the classical music fraternity about lineage, mentorship and the interpretation of the traditional guru-shishya bond.
