Ravi Shankar’s ‘last disciple’ faces sharp rebuttal

A dispute arises in Hindustani classical music as Rishabh Sharma claims to be Ravi Shankar's last disciple, prompting a rebuttal from the Ravi Shankar Centre.

Mumbai: A dissonant build up of claims and counter-claims, sharp enough to snap a sitar string, has engulfed the rarefied world of Hindustani classical music. On Friday, the Delhi-based Ravi Shankar Centre, dedicated to preserving the legacy of Pandit Ravi Shankar, issued a measured but sharp rebuttal to sitarist Rishabh Rikhiram Sharma’s claims of being the maestro’s last disciple.

NEW DELHI, INDIA - MARCH 19: Sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar and his daughter Anoushka Shankar duding a press conference at Lady Irwin college on on March 19, 1999 in New Delhi, India. Sitar maestro and Bharat Ratna Pandit Ravi Shankar passed away at age of 92 in San Diego on December 11, 2012. (Photo by Pradeep Bhatia/Hindustan Times ) (Hindustan Times)

The 26-year-old US-based Sharma is a rising star in the music world and is known for his fusion of Hindustani classical