Early Life and Family
Annapurna Devi was born on the occasion of chaiti purnima, 23 April 1927 at Maihar, a small princely state of British India (now a part of Madhya Pradesh state of India), where her father Alauddin Khan was a royal court musician at the court of Maharaja Brijnath Singh, who also named the newborn girl as 'Annapurna'.
Devi's father and guru Alauddin Khan, founder of the "Senia Maihar gharana" or "Senia Maihar School" of Hindustani classical music, was noted a musician and guru of Indian classical music. Her uncles, Fakir Aftabuddin Khan and Ayet Ali Khan, were noted musicians at their native place Shibpur, in the present-day Bangladesh. Her brother Ali Akbar Khan was a legendary Sarod maestro and was considered a "national living treasure" in India and the USA. Her former husband, virtuoso Sitar maestro Ravi Shankar, was perhaps the most famous Indian classical musician internationally.
Her family has their ancestry in the village of Shibpur, Brahmanbaria, in the then British India, present Bangladesh. Annapurna Devi grew up in Maihar. She was one of the three daughters of Alauddin Khan, namely Jahanara, Sharija, Roshanara (her Muslim name). Sharija died an early death suffering from diseases in her childhood. When Alauddin's other daughter, Jahanara, got married, her jealous mother-in-law burnt her Tambura. A shocked Alauddin Khan decided not to train his only other daughter, Roshanara. One day, however, he came home to discover Annapurna teaching her brother Ali Akbar Khan, and her talent made her emotional father change his mind. Annapurna, since then, started learning classical vocal music, Sitar, and Surbahar from her father.
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