Acclaimed harmonium maestro Pandit Tulsidas Borkar dies at 83
Mumbai/Panaji, Sep 29: Pandit Tulsidas Borkar, the legendary exponent of the harmonium, passed away in a private hospital where he was admitted three weeks ago on September 8, an official said in Mumbai on Saturday.
He was 83 and had been admitted to Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital where he breathed his last around 10.44 a.m. on Saturday, an official spokesperson said.
"He was suffering from chest infection and had difficulty in breathing," an attending doctor said.
Born in Borim, Goa on November 18, 1934, Pt. Borkar was conferred the Padma Shri in 2016 for his contribution to Indian music.
Pandit Borkar, who first learnt music from his mother, Jayshree Borkar, is renowned for designing a new model of the harmonium which involved raising the level of the keyboard that was crafted and manufactured by Dashrath Bengude.
He learnt the finer nuances of vocal training from Chhota Gandharva and then mastered the harmonium under Maestro P. Madhukar, under whose guidance, he developed his own style of music, blending vocal and instrumentals during stage performance.
Borkar was associated with many performing groups and accompanied many famous artists on harmonium. He also accompanied classical singers like Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Chhota Gandharva, Pandit Vasantrao Deshpande and Gangubai Hangal, among others.
He also conducted extensive research to improve the tonal quality, tuning and other technical aspects of the instrument, which gave different visual and sound dimensions to the harmonium.
A recipient of the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademic Award in 2005, among many other national and international honours, Borkar took part in music concerts all over India as also in the US, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. He also recorded solo for the world's top music companies.
He has also published a book on harmonium-playing titled 'Samvadini Sadhana' gave lecture-demonstrations on the subject in India and the US.
According to the deceased's Mumbai-based relative Yoganand Borkar, the maestro migrated with his guru mother from Borim in Goa to Pune after passing out of Class IV. He grew up in Maharashtra's cultural capital, but was forced to shift to Bombay (now Mumbai) after the Panshet dam tragedy in 1961, when a wall of the dam cracked open inundating nearby areas, including the locality where Borkar was residing in.
"In Mumbai, he first started playing the harmonium in Marathi musical plays for a fee of Rs. 30 per play. One day, after hearing him perform at an event, then Bombay Municipal Commissioner S.S. Tinaikar offered him a municipal job. He later started an academy in Dadar," Borkar told IANS.
Laxman Mahambrey, a ninety-year-old renowned musician and Goa state awardee, said Borkar was known for his mastery over the anwat ragas -- lesser known ragas which are complex in composition.
"Tulsidas made them appear easy. Such was his mastery over the harmonium," Mahambrey said.
Goa Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude said Borkar's demise was a "huge loss to the field of art".
"Recently the Directorate of Art and Culture has done the archival recording of Borkar. He has many disciples in and outside Goa who are taking ahead his style and legacy," Gaude told IANS.
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BJP questions Congress over not nominating Tharoor for delegation on Operation Sindoor
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Saturday questioned the Congress' choice of leaders for diplomatic outreach delegations abroad for conveying India's message following Operation Sindoor, wondering if it did not nominate party MP Shashi Tharoor because he outshone the high command.
The government nominated Tharoor, who serves as chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, to lead one of the seven multi-party delegations abroad for putting across India's stand against Pakistan for supporting terrorism.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said it nominated former Union minister Anand Sharma, the party's Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, Rajya Sabha MP Syed Naseer Hussain and Lok Sabha MP Raja Brar after the government asked for names of four MPs.
Reacting to Ramesh's statement, BJP IT department head Amit Malviya said in a post on X, "No one can deny Shashi Tharoor's eloquence, his long experience as a United Nations official, and his deep insights on matters of foreign policy."
"So why has the Congress Party -- and Rahul Gandhi in particular -- chosen not to nominate him for the multi-party delegations being sent abroad to explain India's position on key issues?" he said.
"Is it insecurity? Jealousy? Or simply intolerance of anyone who outshines the 'high command'?" he added.
BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said, "So, Jairam Ramesh opposes his own Congressman Shashi Tharoor for being chosen to lead one of the Parliamentary delegation."
"Why does Rahul Gandhi hate every individual who speaks for India, even in his own party?" Bhandari asked.
In another post on X, Malviya alleged the Congress' choices to represent India were not just "intriguing" but "deeply questionable".
"Take, for instance, the inclusion of Syed Naseer Hussain in a delegation representing India. It is truly shocking. Let's not forget it was his supporter who raised "Pakistan Zindabad" slogans inside the Vidhana Soudha while celebrating his Rajya Sabha victory," the BJP leader said.
The Bengaluru Police arrested three individuals in connection with the incident, based on a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report, circumstantial evidence, and witness testimonies, he added.
"The less said about Gaurav Gogoi, the better. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has accused Gogoi of spending 15 days in Pakistan, stating that his arrival and departure were officially recorded at the Atari border," Malviya said.
Referring to other allegations that the Assam chief minister has leveled against Gogoi and his wife, the BJP leader asked, "How can MPs facing such grave allegations be trusted to represent India, particularly on matters involving Pakistan?"
"What message is the Congress trying to send, and whose interests are really being served?" Malviya added.
No one can deny Shashi Tharoor’s eloquence, his long experience as a United Nations official, and his deep insights on matters of foreign policy.
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) May 17, 2025
So why has the Congress Party — and Rahul Gandhi in particular — chosen not to nominate him for the multi-party delegations being…
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