Thread by @Fatima_Khatun01

Was harmonium once`untouchable’ in All India Radio ??

Once upon a time, precisely in 1915, India was a leading producer of the harmonium! Yet, a quarter-century later, it became `untouchable’, so much so that All India Radio ( later  called Akashvani)  had to ban it in 1940 and the instrument,  with a formal burial, was removed from all of its studious located in undivided India.

John Foulds, who headed the Western music wing of All India Radio during its earlier days, believed the harmonium was mute on microtones that were so essential to Indian classical. Lionel Fielden, India’s first broadcasting chief on the request of so many Indian musicians, had to  ban the harmonium   in 1940  as he  too had felt that it (harmonium)  was not suitable to the tonal inflections of Indian classical music

🚨 AIR banished harmonium on March 1, 1940

Soon after Fielden ordered to ban harmonium, this keyboard instrument was banished and literary thrown away from the studios. Its last rites were symbolically performed at All India Radio Lahore by laying it to rest. Some newspapers of that era,  also came out with cartoons and sketches, with other  musical instruments telling harmonium “Dafa Ho jao”

Records  reveal that historian Ananda Coomaraswami and even Jawaharlal Nehru.

As a freedom fighter too had found the harmonium `un-Indian’. Thus, the ban on the instrument sustained even after India’s  Independence owing to the attitude of Information and Broadcasting Minister BV Keskar, a student of scholarly vocalist VN Bhatkhande.  During the Indian independence Movement, both British and Indian scholars condemned the harmonium for embodying an unwelcome foreign musical sensibility

Popularity of Harmonium

Harmonium, developed by French inverter was once very popular  musical instrument in the mid-19th century. Considered  a cheaper and more durable alternative to organs and harpsichords, as the latter two often finished the long voyage east warped and unplayable,  Indian craftsmen  had quickly learned to manufacture harmoniums, and soon their compatriots incorporated the instrument into performances of Indian classical music.

In comparison to traditional instruments, the harmonium was easy to tune and a cinch to learn to play. However, as the harmonium became a target of `anti-colonialists’, All-India Radio, the influential state-run broadcaster had to ban it from its programs.

Lifting of ban on Harmonium

The ban was loosened in 1970, after critics  argued that the harmonium “should not be treated as an ‘untouchable.’

  As elites have struggled to cleanse modern Indian music of what they argue is a “foreign” intruder, the masses have used the harmonium as a gateway to an understanding of their musical heritage. Critics opined that harmonium was considered  well suited to teaching the fundamentals of Indian musical grammar and to accompanying choral groups—thus needed recognition and not the ban.

 Today, the harmonium in India thrives in a range of systems: Hindustani, Carnatic, Qawwali, Ghazal, Bhajans, Church choir and Sikh Gurbani besides several traditional and folk music. Even so, solo harmonium concerts continue to be rare on AIR.

The harmonium was banned on All India Radio (AIR) in 1940.

The ban was primarily due to concerns that it was not suited for Indian classical music, especially vocal accompaniment. The British colonial administrators, along with some Indian classical purists, felt that the harmonium’s fixed-pitch and Western tuning system could not capture the nuanced microtones (shruti) and ornamentations (gamakas) of Indian music.

•It could not produce the microtonal variations essential to many Indian ragas.

•It was seen as a Western instrument lacking the expressive depth of traditional Indian instruments like the tanpura or sarangi.

•Some nationalists also rejected it for being foreign in origin (it was imported from Europe in the 19th century).

Background & Ban (1940)

All India Radio, under the British colonial government and later under Indian administrative policies, officially banned the harmonium in 1940—specifically for broadcast use in classical music. It could still be used in folk or light music, but not in classical vocal performances.

Key Reason of ban :

1.Tuning System Issues:

•The harmonium uses equal temperament tuning, while Indian classical music requires just intonation and the ability to shift shrutis (microtones).

•This made the harmonium “mechanically inflexible” for ragas, which demand subtle pitch variations.

2.Colonial & Cultural Elitism:

•Some viewed the harmonium as a “foreign” (European) import, thus unworthy of India’s classical tradition.

•Western-educated critics in the AIR and music boards saw it as inferior to Indian instruments like the sarangi, tanpura, or vina.

3.Perception of Quality:

•The harmonium was considered too simplistic and lacking in expressive capability, especially gamakas, meend, and glides, which are crucial in Indian classical music.

Supporters of the Harmonium:

•Many musicians found the harmonium indispensable for teaching, composing, and accompaniment.

•It became especially popular in bhajans, ghazals, and semi-classical styles.

Notable Advocates:

•Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Kumar Gandharva, and Kishori Amonkar continued to use the harmonium in live concerts despite the ban.

•Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande and Vishnu Digambar Paluskar played a key role in promoting harmonium-based music education in the early 20th century.

Gandhi’s View:

•Interestingly, Mahatma Gandhi himself disapproved of the ban. He argued that if an instrument helps spread good music to the masses, its origin shouldn’t matter.

Lifting of the Ban (1971):

The ban was finally lifted in 1971, following:

•Growing popularity and acceptance of the harmonium among musicians and audiences.

•A shift in the post-independence cultural policy that recognized the evolving nature of Indian music.

•Pressure from leading artists and critics who challenged AIR’s narrow definition of “classical purity.”

Legacy Today of Hormonium:

•The harmonium is now widely accepted and regularly used in classical, devotional, and film music.

•Despite earlier criticisms, it has become one of the most iconic instruments in Indian music, due to its portability, versatility, and ease of use in vocal accompaniment.