Veteran sitarist and musician Anoushka Shankar recently shared on social media a deeply distressing and chilling experience she had, where a man grabbed her without consent and lifted her into the air as she was interacting with a few fans after a show. Maintaining that the incident happened so fast, Anoushka said she didn’t even have time to process what was happening. She also pointed out that such incidents, in which one fails to offer a ‘fitting’ response, can cause them to gaslight themselves into believing that the other person’s actions were without ill intent.She also maintained that these violations could reopen even childhood wounds that one believed had been healed. “A man picked me up last weekend. I mean, he physically lifted me. He asked if he could, but didn’t wait for an answer before I found myself suspended in the air, clasped in a stranger’s bear hug, my feet dangling. I had been meeting a few fans after a show, and it all happened so fast. I laughed awkwardly and asked to be let down. I signed his poster, I smiled and waved,” she shared in a long note on social media.Also Read | Ranveer Singh banned by film body over Don 3 exit, Farhan Akhtar seeks Rs 45 cr in damages‘Others were more shocked and upset than I was’When Anoushka Shankar recounted the story to others later, she shared that their reactions were significantly different from hers. “Later, when sharing the story, I was quick to say I felt confident he had no ill intent and was simply being overexcited and thoughtless (I still believe this is likely true). I was surprised people’s reactions seemed more shocked and upset than my own,” she said.DisclaimerThis article covers personal reflections on emotional distress, physical boundary violations, and the psychological impact of past trauma. It is intended for informational and reflective purposes, rather than as professional psychological or advisory guidance. If you are experiencing distress or processing trauma related to abuse or harassment, please consider speaking with a mental health professional or reaching out to a support service.However, over time, she also realised that what happened to her shouldn’t have happened and that the fan clearly crossed her personal boundaries, regardless of his intent. She stated that this was, unfortunately, the latest in a long list of abuses she has faced over the years, where she didn’t know what the “appropriate” response was.“Days later, the reality has sunk in. Once again, my history of abuse meant I didn’t know how to respond appropriately to someone crossing my boundaries in real time. I centred his hypothetical intent over my lived experience of discomfort. When this happens, feelings of shame, dismay and frustration can arise. How can I still be grappling with these never-ending nuances? I have come so far in this process of healing, yet a single moment can show me further wounds still enclosed within. Another layer of childhood memories resurfacing and shedding,” Anoushka Shankar shared. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Philharmonie Luxembourg (@philharmonie_lux)She concluded the note with a piece of advice for all who have grappled with such harassment in life or might in the future. “If, like me, you hold these experiences within yourself, please go gently.” Admitting that this is easier said than done, she added, “The path of healing curves is never linear. If you lost your voice again for a moment, remember you can always find it within. The gulf between our bodies, our emotions, and how our minds read them is narrowing with every moment that separates us from our past.”Who is Anoushka Shankar?A 14-time Grammy Award nominee, Anoushka Shankar is the daughter of the late legendary sitarist and music composer Pandit Ravi Shankar.Story continues below this adBack in 2013, she revealed that she faced “sexual and emotional abuse” for several years from a man her parents “trusted implicitly.” In a selfie video, she reportedly said, “I am still afraid to walk alone at night, afraid to answer a man who asks for the time. Growing up, like most women I know, I suffered various forms of groping, touching, verbal abuse and other things I didn’t know how to deal with, I didn’t know I could change.”ICYMI | Ranveer Singh makes first appearance since FWICE ban, refuses to interact with paparazzi‘My father’s death made me ‘little freer’ to share my sexual abuse story’During a 2025 conversation with Mojo Story, Anoushka Shankar had opened up further about the sexual abuse she faced in her life. “I had a very fortunate upbringing. I had a lot of incredible things in my life. But one of the narratives that, as a human and as a young woman in the press, used to rankle me was this idea that I’d just had a charmed life, that I had a silver spoon, that nothing bad had ever happened to me, and that I’d just swanned into this industry. And you know, sexual abuse… as I say, everyone has a spectrum. It’s not like that was the only thing. But when you carry a big wound like that, and it’s a secret, it feels very disjointed from how you’re seen, compared to how you actually feel as a human being,” the musician shared.“I think perhaps my father’s passing away made me feel a little freer to share my story publicly. He knew my story, but any pain that he might’ve gone through with me sharing it in a wider context was no longer relevant. I was in immediate grief. I wasn’t thinking so much as feeling,” she added.HELP IS A CALL AWAYMENTAL HEALTH HELPLINE NUMBERSAASRAContact: 9820466726Email: aasrahelpline@yahoo.comTimings: 24×7Languages: English, HindiSnehiContact: 9582208181Email: snehi.india@gmail.comTimings: 10am – 10pm, all daysLanguages: English, Hindi, MarathiFortis MentalHealthContact: 8376804102Timings: 24×7; All daysStory continues below this adLanguages: Achiku, Assamese, Bengali, Dogri, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Konkani, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Tamil, Telugu, UrduConnecting NGOContact: 9922004305, 9922001122Email: distressmailsconnecting@gmail.comTimings: 12pm – 8pm; All daysLanguages: English, Hindi, MarathiVandrevala FoundationContact: 18602662345Email: help@vandrevalafoundation.comTimings: 24×7Languages: Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and English