Today is such a special day for Anoushka Shankar! The nine-time Grammy-nominated sitarist, producer, film composer and impassioned activist will be awarded an Honorary Degree from the University of Oxford, it was announced today (April 26).

The prestigious recognition is being conferred “in recognition of her outstanding achievements within the music industry” and underscores Anoushka’s profound influence on the global music landscape and her unwavering commitment to bridging cultural divides through her art. In a noteworthy first, Anoushka achieves the distinction of being the first musician of Indian origin to be conferred with this coveted honour.

Sharing her excitement over this news, Anoushka Shankar said in her statement that this is a ‘pinch-me moment’ in her life. “This is truly a pinch-me moment in my career; I never even dreamed I might receive an honour such as this, let alone from one of the most prestigious Universities in the world. I am deeply grateful to Oxford University for conferring me with an Honorary Degree. I also feel reflective and grateful for all my past teachers that got me to this point: I was fortunate to have had the most precious education in music under the guidance of my father, and unbelievable coaching and support in my career aged thirteen onwards from my mother. This is all thanks to them,” said Shankar, who is the daughter of Pandit Ravi Shankar.

Anoushka will be awarded her degree on June 19 at the world-famous university’s annual Encaenia academic ceremony alongside Warren East, Sir Demis Hassabis, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Sir Michael Palin and Professor Salim Yusuf as part of a total 2024 cohort of six honorary degrees.

On the professional front, Anoushka has released the first two instalments of her mini-album trilogy with Chapter I: Forever, For Now in October of last year followed by Chapter II: How Dark It Is Before Dawn in April this year. March 2024 saw the release of her duet A Rock Somewhere with six-time Grammy(logo) Award-winning British musician Jacob Collier as part of his latest album Djesse Vol. 4.

For the unversed, Anoushka Shankar has also co-composed the score for Mira Nair’s six-part series A Suitable Boy (Netflix).