BENGALURU: Mysuru-born sitarist of global renown Shubhendra Rao has slapped Air India with a legal notice seeking Rs 7 lakh as compensation for damage to his instrument while flying from New Delhi to New York flight three months ago. Rao has threatened to take the airline to court if they do not respond to his notice dated January 30 within two weeks.
Rao, a disciple of Pandit Ravi Shankar, said, “For a musician, the instrument is priceless. I have spent nearly Rs 70,000 to set the damage right but the sound emanating from it is not exactly the same. Soon I will need to go in for a new one.”
At present, a good sitar costs anywhere between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 4 lakh, he said. “The mental agony I suffered and the insufficient response from Air India have forced me to take this step,” the sitarist said. Air India did not respond to repeated calls.