The harmonium, notwithstanding its origin in the western world, has become practically indispensable in all forms of Indian music- classical, semi classical as well as light. Many Indian households, with any sort of musical background, will invariably have a harmonium in its possession. But in spite of such popularity, it also happens to be the most controversial musical instrument. There were some who disliked it so much that it was banned on All Indie Radio. At the same time there were some who were so enamoured by its endearing qualities that they spent their entire lives exploring and developing its full potential.
Late Pt Vishwanath Pendharkar was one such artist who had a clear idea about the essence of Indian music and how it could be presented on the harmonium. Whenever he played the harmonium, the emotional content was so high that it struck a chord in the hearts of the listeners. He strongly believed that every Raag had something different to say and unless you presented it that way, the entire performance would become just a display of mechanical gimmicks.
Dr Dilip Gaitonde, one of Pendharkarji”s senior disciples, was really fortunate to have witnessed this journey closely. It was his dream to present Pendharkar ji”s ideas as well as those of many other stalwarts , who have worked tirelessly for this instrument, to more and more music lovers and students Thus was born Samvadini Sadhana - a place to study the work done by Samvadini artists so far and to chart the course for further developments
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