Sitarist Anoushka Shankar has addressed a long-standing perception surrounding fellow musician Rishab Rikhiram Sharma, clarifying that he was never formally a disciple of her father, the legendary Ravi Shankar. Rishab has often been described as the maestro's "last" or "youngest" disciple, a label that has appeared in several interviews and public discussions over the years.
Clarifying the 'disciple' narrative
Speaking during a recent interaction with Humans of Bombay, as reported by The Indian Express, Anoushka reflected on the expanding global appeal of the sitar and the new generation of musicians taking the instrument forward. She welcomed the diversity of styles and spaces in which the sitar is now being explored.
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At the same time, she addressed what she called a misunderstanding regarding Rishab's musical training. While acknowledging his talent and public connect, Anoushka explained that his formal learning did not take place directly under Ravi Shankar. Instead, she noted that he trained intensively with Parimal Sadaphal, one of Ravi Shankar's senior disciples, and only had a few informal lessons with her father, often in the presence of Sadaphal.
"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 was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.
She also pointed to a personal association between the families, mentioning that Rishab was known to them since childhood because his father, Sanjay Rikhiram Sharma, worked as their instrument maker. According to her, this closeness may have gradually evolved into the popular but inaccurate narrative of him being Ravi Shankar's last disciple.
"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," she added.
Rishab's account of mentorship
In earlier interviews, Rishab has shared a different perspective on how his connection with Ravi Shankar began. Recounting an early meeting arranged by his father, he described a moment that he considered life-changing, saying, "After that he turned to my parents and said, 'With your permission, your kid has a lot of talent, I would love to be his guru and teach him', and I saw my parents' jaw drop to the floor because God himself had come down and said, 'Can I teach your child?' So my dad didn't have the courage to ask him. For him to offer to be my guru was amazing."
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He further recalled Ravi Shankar telling him, "I don't know how much life I have left, but whatever I have, please take it from me as soon as possible," describing this as the beginning of his learning journey.
Ongoing musical journeys
Anoushka Shankar is currently concluding her 'Chapters Tour 2026' in India, marking three decades of her career. Meanwhile, Rishab continues to perform widely, often crediting Ravi Shankar's teachings and influence as central to his musical expression.
