Tulsidas Borkar was an excellent Indian maestro of the harmonium, far better known and admired for his singular proficiency on the harmonium as also for his massive contribution to the Indian world of classical music. Far better known to the whole world as India’s finest ever harmonium player, he elevated the status of the harmonium from that of a popular solo presentation instrument to that of a mere accompaniment instrument.

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Background and Early Life

18th November, 1934 was Tulsidas Borkar’s birthdate in Ponda Taluka village of Borim, Goa, which was then a Portuguese colony. Tulsidas was brought up on music by his mother, who herself was a devotional singer. Home was the place where one learned music first, and kirtans and bhajans were the livelihoods.

Borkar’s professional career as a harmonium player was directly influenced by his first guru, harmonium maestro Vishnupant Vasudev Parab. Subsequently, he also learned vocal music from maestros Pandit Khan Saheb Khadim Hussain and Ustad Munne Khan. Through proper training and strict follow-up, he was able to apply the poetic aspect of singing vocal music and technical expertise in instrumental playing on harmonium.

Rise to Fame

Tulsidas Borkar’s playing was marked by lyricism, clear voice, and rhythmic energy. He provided a unique personality to the harmonium and played soft rhythmic cycles with heavy emotional content. He became the first choice accompanist of all such big singers like Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Gangubai Hangal, Kishori Amonkar, and some others as time passed. His ability in accompanying a singer and bringing forward his voice earned him a popular name.

Apart from this, accompaniment reached the independence stage by accompanying the harmonium singer. This equated traditional accompaniment with the status of independent music. Borkar even went the extent of shaping the hero from the harmonium solo, something that was inconceivable within a tradition wherein the instrument found itself being utilised as much as a system of support trailing rather than occupying the limelight of the stage.

Contributions to Indian Classical Music

Tulsidas Borkar contributed immensely towards the enrichment of playing style and tone quality on harmonium. He tried new tunings, reed setup, and playing so that harmonium can be rendered strong enough to offer more expression and make it ready for capacity. He composed humongous amounts of music pieces and gave notations for practicing the instrument so that his techniques lasted for generations.

Apart from music performance, the rest of his life was devoted to teaching. He taught numerous students who became good musicians, e.g., Sudhir Nayak and Dhananjay Daithankar. Borkar’s teaching was very mechanized but very orthodox guru-shishya parampara (teacher-pupil tradition)-oriented.

He wrote books on harmonium and Indian music, e.g., Swaranad, which even to this day is an easy book for students and musicians.

Awards and Honours

During his superb and extremely long career, Tulsidas Borkar was honored with various awards for his contribution to and work in the field of music. The most snobbish of all was the Padma Shri, which he was honored with by the Government of India in 2016.
Besides that, he was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the Tansen Sanman, and the Gaurav Puraskar of the Maharashtra State Government, among many others.

His work was not only done in India but everywhere throughout the world, and Indian classical harmonium gained popularity among the world’s masses.

Last Years and Legacy

Tulsidas Borkar passed away on 29th September 2018 at the ripe age of 83, leaving behind his musical legacy. His death was a loss that could never be replaced in the Indian classical music fraternity. Musicians, students, and listeners from across the globe were stunned by the death of a visionary who transformed playing along with the approach to playing harmonium.

Conclusion

Tulsidas Borkar was not just a harmoniumist — he was a reformer, an innovator, and a philosophy of music. He made popular an accompaniment instrument and the trendsetter instrument of Indian classical music and left behind a legacy to generations to come by playing and teaching. His life is testimony to passion, innovation, and commitment to music.

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