Anoushka Shankar: on teenage rebellion, a sexy image and sister Norah Jones

It cannot be easy growing up as a teenager in London when your dad is world famous for chilling with the Beatles but exercised the sort of discipline that can only come from being a renowned sitar player, even now at the age of 85.

Nevertheless, Anoushka Shankar seems to have grown up just fine into a sexy and sassy young lady, far more confident than her 23 years of age might be credited for.

She has been playing the sitar with her father since the age of nine and made her performance debut in New Delhi at the startlingly young age of thirteen.

Did she always plan to become a professional sitar player? "I became more sure the longer I kept on playing," she says. "In the beginning it was something I was checking out. It took me a few years to grow to love it. I always listened to it but I wasn't sure if it was something I wanted to take on in my life."

Constantly smiling, Anoushka has an aura of a person happy about where she is and looking forward to where things might take her. But hasn't she ever felt the need to, you know, rebel and ditch the sitar?

"It was tricky as a teenager because I couldn't do a lot of the teenage rebellion stuff with him [her dad]. There is a lot of tradition and respect involved in what we learn."

"But," she says, "my parents have always let me do what I want. Past that age of 16-17, my parents always had high stands of what I do, but as long as I was doing well in school, they weren't restrictive."

She says points out that her parents have always let her go on holidays around with the world with friends.

It is hard to be disappointed with your daughter however if she is not only an accomplished sitar player and musician but has already written a book (a biography on her father in 2002) and starred in a film (Dance Like a Man, 2003).

Not only that, Anoushka was the youngest and first female recipient by the British Parliament of the House of Commons Shield in 1998 - presented in recognition of her 'artistry and musicianship'.

Underachievement is clearly not a problem. I wonder if she sometimes feels overwhelmed by her father's reputation and if that has made her want to stand out more. Does he cast a shadow over her work?

"If I saw it as a shadow then it would probably be a problem and a difficult thing to deal with," she says. "But I don't see it as shadow and I never have. Whatever I've gotten from being his daughter has been a great aid and a blessing."

She continues confidently: "It really depends on your outlook because if I was going to sit here and say 'oh why me I have such a difficult life', then sure I'd find it difficult. But I do play an instrument that is the same as my father, so it make sense that people know me through my father."

She does admit however that if people continued to see her only as Ravi Shankar's daughter, it would be "frustrating". But in most cases that does not happen she adds.

Driving home that point is the fact that she already has three albums under her belt. In 1998 her first solo recording, Anoushka, was released to critical acclaim. Anourag followed in 2000 and Live at Carnegie Hall in 2001. The latter was nominated for a Grammy award, making her the youngest nominee ever for the Best World Music Album category.

In fact I get the distinct feeling that sooner or later she will easily surpass her father's legacy and become a much bigger brand name by herself on the international stage.

Musical genius must be a family trait because her half-sister Norah Jones is already well established on the world stage. Anoushka describes their relationship as "very close" and her website features many pictures of both together.

But does she ever get a bit, you know, envious of her sister's success? After all Norah's debut album sold nearly 20 million copies worldwide, a figure most musicians would give their right arms for.

But Anoushka is unfazed. "It's a lot like asking me if I feel jealous of Britney spears. It's a completely different category. She is my sister and she is close to me but I made the decision a long time ago to be a classical Sitar player."

She continues: "I don't do what I do in order to sell records and be super-famous. I'm not in the same field as her and I don't play mainstream music. I'm happy for her. Sometimes yeah sure I'll say I want more money but that's not comparing me to her."

In her own way the younger half-sister is happy with the way things are going. She clearly plans to conquer the world on her own ground.

How about injecting a bit of sexiness into sitar playing? I ask her if she would consider playing up a sexy image in order to glamorise her music and maybe get more attention. Would she pose sexily for my camera? Ok, I didn't ask that last question.

"I think it depends on the focus. Obviously I have no problem seeing myself in a good light if that's what people choose to show. I have no problem with pictures being sexy, so long as I am a sitar player. That is the focus here - me being a musician," she says. There is hope for me yet.

"In India it's frustrating sometimes. The articles can be very fluffy a lot of the times... talking about what parties you've been to etc.. That's not how I want to be known."

So how doe she want to be known, I ask eagerly. "I want to be a very strong world music figure. Hopefully to be seen as someone pioneering and creative," she adds after a moment of thought. "There is plenty more I want to do."

Like?

"Well I've already acted in a movie; I've written a book and I'm going to do more of that; plus my new album coming out now is a crossover album. It is still very Indian and classical but it has electronics, it has flamenco, south American influences. I've crossed over to a different phase - musically."

"I don't want to cross boundaries just for the sake of it," she adds confidently. More likely the boundaries will shift to accommodate her creativity.

- Asians in Media Magazine
http://www.asiansinmedia.org/