Attend this concert celebrating 100 years of a legacy music store in Mumbai

Mumbai is a city where music is often the background to your daily commute but it is also a city where names like Ustad Zakir Hussain Ustad Alla Rakha Khan Pandit Shivkumar Sharma and going back further to Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar Ustad Karim Khan and others revelled in Down the road from the famed Bhendi Bazaar whose current status belies its reputation of the Bhendi Bazaar gharana stands the Haribhau Vishwanath Musical Industries This weekend they begin the celebrations for the centenary year with a music concert at a Matunga venue by Rahul Sharma Ojas Adhiya Ashok Patki and Kaushal Inamdar among others in performanceA collection of sitars santoors and tanpuras at the storeThe beginnings of a legacyldquoThe journey began with Vishwanath Diwane who was a harmonium player with the legendary Bal Gandharvarsquos theatre trouperdquo recalls 76yearold Dilip Diwane founder Haribhaursquos nephew Vishwanathrsquos young son Haribhau would often accompany his father along on the journeys Having acquired an early ear for music Haribhau would assist as well as play alongside his fatherMusician Hariharan with Uday Diwane during a visit to the Dadar storeldquoBut often he would spend time working on the instrument In those days the harmonium was a new instrument and imported from Germany or Francerdquo shares Dilip adding ldquoHe learned to mould it to the requirements of Indian vocals and music Sometime around 1925 he set up shop in Dadarrsquos Kumbharwada locality and later in Girgaonrsquos music marketrdquo Diliprsquos nephew Ashish says ldquoRight across our store was RS Mayekarrsquos who designed only string instruments There was another tabla maker down the road We used to specialise only in harmoniums before we diversifiedrdquoA collection of violins at the Girgaon storeLike all members of the family Ashish assisted his grandfather in the workshop and recalls him as an innovator ldquoBack then these instruments were traditionally made by hand and took weeks He decided to use machines such as circular saws drill machines that shortened time He also came up with the idea of working in lots of eight or nine harmoniums at a time as a production linerdquo he sharesA family traditionWhen the manufacturing workshop moved for a short time to Ahilya Nagar music became more than a profession ldquoSulochana Chavan Shahu Modak and every other musical theatre troupe would stop by Every fortnight Haribhau would host a mehfil and also join the musicians in performancesrdquo recalls DilipA dated photograph of founder Haribhau Vishwanath right felicitating the theatre icon Bal GandharvaThis passion was passed down to every member of the family ldquoI learned the harmonium and played tabla for 20 years My son also learned musicrdquo shares Ashish The 56yearold is not alone Dilip Diwane started with the harmonium and later learned the Hawaiian and electric guitars ldquoIt is very important for us to have an ear for music You cannot craft an instrument without knowing the changes in its soundrdquo the septuagenarian points outMechanism of musicThis knowledge also contributes to the science of craftsmanship Ashish expands ldquoMusic might be an art but needs material science For instance harmoniums used to be made of Burma teak in the Colonial era When sourcing them became difficult we repurposed old timber especially teak from Colonialera furniture These are naturally seasoned which prevents them from cracking when used as the inner soundboards of the harmoniumrdquo When they started exporting overseas the family realised that wood often reacts differently in colder climates ldquoWe had to adapt and work using composites and materials that would offer the same sound quality Today we work with all forms of instruments and materialsrdquo Ashish revealsConstant evolutionFrom electric mandolins and Hawaiian guitars to banjos and rudra veenas the family believes evolution is the key to survival With a factory in Worli stores in Prabhadevi and Dadar mdash helmed by the thirdgeneration of the family Dinesh Vishwanath and Uday Vishwanath mdash the connection continuesldquoI still remember Pandit Shivkumar Sharma calling us over to discuss some changes to his santoor The thing about instruments of Indian music is that they are service oriented mdash they cannot be kept as showpieces You have to play them and maintain themrdquo Ashish remarksThis Sundayrsquos celebrations are part of this tradition and love for music ldquoIt is not every day that you cross 100 years In a city like Mumbai where neighbourhoods change every decade keeping the fire going through generations is an achievementrdquo sums up Dilip DiwaneOn January 5 530 pm onwardsAt Yashwant Natya Mandir JK Sawant Marg Joshi Wadi Matunga WestEntry passes available at their stores in Dadar Prabhadevi and GirgaonCall 223821425 Girgaon