Annapoorna Devi is an embodiment of awesome but enigmatic talent that speaks for itself. Daughter of the great baba allauddin Khan of the Maihar Gharana, she upholds the standards of the Gharana.
Annapoorna had embibed lessons in music from her father. She married the famous sitar exponent Ravi Shankar, who was also a disciple of her father, Allaudin Khan. But, though they had a son, Shubhendra, they broke up. This coupled with the demise of her father, dealt a severe blow to Annapoorna and she became almost a recluse.
Few have seen her, fewer still have heard her play. Her last public performance was four decades ago, amongst a total of ten or eleven times in her life.
She received awards like the Padma Bhushan, the Sangeet Natak academy award and the Desikottama award. Her life in the confines of her Mumbai flat is a lifelong Sadhana of her art, the music which she learnt from her great father.