Aficionado donates over 2,000 rare records of classical music

PUNE: Only a true aficionado of Indian classical music can understand the passion that drives Ramesh Ganesh Deo to collect the treasure trove of our musical heritage. From the LPs dating back to the 1930s to the ELPs that were released a few decades ago, Deo has recordings of practically every stalwart.
Now, Deo has donated his collection of over 2,000 records to the Bharat Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Kala Dalan set up at the Late Vasant Bagul Garden in Sahakarnagar.
"I've been collecting these records for almost 52 years now and have travelled far and wide within the country to source them," says Deo, a regular at the prestigious Sawai Gandharva music festival. Recordings of raga Todi by Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, raga Megh by Ustad Amir Khan, Yamini-Bilaval by Mallikarjun Mansoor, historic speeches made in the 1930s and 1940s by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, John F Kennedy and Franklin Roosevelt, poems and recitations by Rabindranath Tagore, a rare collection of ghazals by Begum Akhtar, clay LPs on recordings of Kesarbai Kerkar and Mogubai Kurdikar, and the maiden rendering of 'Vande Mataram' by Pandit Omkarnath Thakur in the 1940s, are some of the gems in Deo's collection.
"Some of these records have autographs of the artistes. I hope to organise programmes on these musical heritage and help spread awareness on the richness of our musical legacy among people," says Deo, who has organised similar programmes privately for free for groups of senior citizens, NGOs and music lovers.
A section at the gallery has been dedicated to Deo's massive collection alone. An array of 62 record players from the 1910s to the 1980s, in working condition, will aid the playing of this huge collection. "Along with records, I've also been collecting record players from all possible sources. I've paid special attention to keeping these old players in working condition," smiles Deo.
Sessions on music appreciation, talks on Hindustani and Carnatic music and anything related to spreading this knowledge, is what Deo hopes to do. "I just want to help people cultivate taste in our classical music. Fortunately, I see an encouraging response from the young generation that wants to familiarise itself with music," says Deo.