Harmonica Club of Gujarat – Fun session in car

On 20 Feb 2011, the last Sunday of my visit to Ahmedabad, I had an opportunity to meet the HCG members.  After the improvisation session in the Parimal Garden, we had a fun session in the car. I would like to share some videos I recorded on Sony Cyber-shot, in car near the Parimal Garden in Ahmedabad.   (Shirish Swami)

Jaane kaha gaya Jigar mera : M. K. Vaidya

One of the trustees of Harmonica Club of Gujarat shri M.K.Vaidya has been playing with harmonica for atleast 50 years now. He is too good at Key board and Violin. Our Teacher.....Friend...and a Guide..........Our Asset too.

From Hyderabad With Love

The number that flashed on my mobile indicated the call was from somewhere outside Gujarat.

"Good morning. Is that Mr. Nachiketa Desai of the Harmonica Club of Gujarat? I am Ramakrishna Sabnivis from Hyderabad," said a baritone voice from the other end.

"I came to know about your club through the Harmonica blog. I too am a harmonica player and we have six more mouth organ players from Hyderabad who have formed a group similar to yours. Can we not network?"

Internet has really shrunk the world.

"Why did we name our club as the 'Harmonica Club of Gujarat'? It should have been called the Harmonica World," I remember having told Tapan Bhatt, the co-founder of the club. Ever since we launched this blog, Tapan and I have been receiving phone calls and e-mails from people within Gujarat and all across India asking us if a mouth organ player from anywhere can be part of the club.

I requested Sabnivis to send me across his audio and video recordings as also photographs and a brief self introduction. He sent me his photograph, the video and audio recordings he will courier in a day or two.

Sabnivis, 56, is an engineer by profession and has been playing harmonica since his school days.
He has an enviable collection of Chromatic harmonicas of different scales from Suzuki, Japan. "These harmonicas are like my own children, I play with them and they pamper me," he says.

Sabnivis is keen that the players of Ahmedabad and Hyderabad meet.

If the players across South East Asia can meet once a year in Hongkong or Singapore and those across Europe meet in Germany and the harp players across the United States do the same, why can't the harmonica players across India meet at least once a year if not more?

Our experience ever since we formed the Harmonica Club of Gujarat has been that all the players learn from each other and their individual and collective performance improves dramatically over a period. Knowledge grows by sharing.

'Harmonica players of the world unite, we have music to share and spread happiness all over.'

Nachiketa Desai

Has been playing from the early boyhood, when he was gifted with a harmonica from his maternal uncle.Performed regularly at various functions during college days. However, discontinued from 1974 and has picked up only from last January. Plays Hindi film songs as well as western notes. A senior journalist by profession, currently works as special correspondent for Gujarat for Business India.

Ahmedabad Mirror covered the launch of Harmonica Club of Gujarat