Sitarist Anoushka Shankar has clarified that Rishab Rikhiram Sharma was never formally a disciple of her father, late Pandit Ravi Shankar, contrary to claims that have been circulating widely in recent years. Sharma has often been described as the last and youngest disciple of the Grammy-winning sitarist, a claim Sharma has also referenced in past interviews while speaking about his musical journey. So somehow that has gone blown up into some story of him being his last disciple or the youngest disciple, which isn’t true. In earlier interviews, Sharma had shared his own account of how Pandit Ravi Shankar became his mentor. In another interview with WION, Sharma had credited Pandit Ravi Shankar as a major influence on his music.

Source: The Telegraph February 14, 2026 08:55 UTC