'It's not that India has arrived permanently'

Anoushka Shankar cautions against the Indian obsession with international honours

She was awarded the House of Commons Shield in London and nominated for the Grammy awards in 2003. But sitarist Anoushka Shankar believes one should not be 'too obsessed' with international honours.

'It always helps when the global focus shifts to a country, but it's not that India has arrived permanently,' Anoushka said days after 'Slumdog Millionaire's' winning spree at the Oscars as well as tabla legend Zakir Hussain's Grammy for the 'Global Drum Project'.

'I see it as being yet another moment in time when India is in focus, like it has been before and will be again,' Anoushka, 27, looking dazzling in a wine-coloured short dress and sporting a nose stud, said.

'Definitely people should capitalise on the acclaim that India is getting, enjoy and celebrate it, but it's important that it should not be taken out of context,' said the daughter of sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar.

'It's not that a Grammy makes someone a better musician than they already are. It's not like a Western award is better than an Indian award, it's not something that we should be too obsessed with,' she said. Her half-sister Norah Jones is also a Grammy winner.