In an era where India’s past and ‘purity’ are constantly being dug up and debated, the humble harmonium has become the latest victim. The irony: music has always been seen as a global connector and not something that divides. When we visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar, we don’t just see a structure. There are little things that complete the spiritual vibe of that place—the golden dome, the sarovar, the devotees. And what acts as a connecting force between them is the soft, continuous music. Every day, a group of 15 ragi jathas (hymn singers) sings about 31 rags over a span of 20 hours, an activity indispensable to the nature and veneration of the place. This music is a prominently expressive way of spiritually appreciating and worshipping the Adi Granth, the holy book of the Sikhs. In this music, the harmonium forms the soul sound, a ‘key’ instrument.
The Sound of the Harmonium will now be silent at the Harmandir Sahib. The orders have been given to replace the harmonium with more traditional string instruments and the time span is given three years. These orders were passed by the Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee(SGPC).
History and the Harmonium:
It was the British who carried the harmonium to India, to their homes and churches. In India, musician Dwarkanath Ghosh, who owned a manufacturing unit for musical instruments, modified the harmonium. The foot-operated bellows beneath the keyboard in the European harmonium was replaced by the hand-operated bellows at the rear. Drone knobs were added to the instrument to produce harmonies in Indian classical music. A scale-changing technique was also added to the Indian version of the instrument. By 1915, India had become the leading manufacturer of the harmonium. This new instrument was more durable, cost-effective, and easier to maintain and repair. The harmonium found itself a second life in India where to the date, musicians use it in a variety of productions — not just in rigid classical music but also in Bollywood songs, and vernacular compositions among others. The harmonium is not an Indian instrument.
The idea of music is to transcend boundaries or distinctions that separate people. Music is for everyone to enjoy, for it treats everyone equally, and does not restrict its expression to certain groups of people. Hence, to deliberate and ponder over its roots is akin to disrespecting the genuine nature of this art. Are our religious institutions so fragile that something that is supposed to just accompany an expression of our devotion can so easily challenge our belief systems, or turn blasphemous? We must introspect how the divisions we create are baseless and against the very notions of faith that we put firmly into people and places, and defeat the sanctity and strength of it.
