Legendary musician Amjad Ali Khan tweeted today about the British Airways misplacing his “beloved” Sarod, which hasn’t been found even two days after he took a flight from London to Delhi.
“After damaging my Sarod in 1997, British Airways now misplaces my Sarod. 48 hours and I still wait anxiously for some news. Still not traced!!!” the 68-year-old maestro tweeted.
Mr. Khan has reportedly played this Sarod for 45 years. The instrument was missing when he returned to Delhi by a British Airways flight on Saturday.
The classical musician, who was awarded India’s second highest civilian honour Padma Vibhushan in 2001, had gone to London with his wife Subhalaxmi to perform at a tribute to Rabindranath Tagore on June 21.
“When we arrived at Delhi airport on June 28, I could not find my priceless sarod. We waited there for four-five hours while airline people tried to trace the instrument. But they were not able to trace it, and they said most likely it would come by the next flight,” the musician said.
“It’s more than 48 hours and still I am waiting for some news. How can such a big airline be so irresponsible,” Khan reportedly said, asserting that he just wanted his Sarod back, not compensation.
In a statement, British Airways cited “intermittent problems” with the baggage system at Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5.
“We are working round the clock to reunite customers with their bags. We are very sorry that this process is taking longer than anticipated, and we fully understand the frustration that this is causing,” said the airline.
The maestro’s Sarod has often taken the brunt of airline travel despite his instructions that the instrument should be treated with care.
In 2010, Air India apologized after the musician’s Sarod was damaged in a flight.
