Solo Harmonium player believes it a classical instrument

As the only one solo harmonium player in the country, Pt Suvendu Banerjee has the mission to slot it a 'complete' instrument which can hold audience at trance even without any vocal or other acoustic accompaniments.
The sixth generation harmonium player in the city, running the 'parampara' of Pt Mantu Banerjee hundreds of years back, the young techie believes, "While almost every household knows how to play the instrument in Bengal, the notion that it can only be accompanied by song, recitals, or jugalbandis can be debunked."
"When I started strumming up the 'sur' and 'mukhras' at solo concerts without vocals and at times in 'jugalbandi's with tabla, sitar or other stringed classical instrument, there would have been initial questions in audience's mind "Why Harmonium?".

"My reply remains as it used to be always, Why not harmonium," Suvendu, who had taken part in a coincert in UK besides all over the country to popularize his generations old craft, said.
"All it depends is sticking to the parameters and not deviating. I played Ghulam Ali Khan's bandish on harmonium in a recent show in Kalamandir, first with Pt Subhankar Banerjee in tabla and then the second part solo. And if youn listen to the vocal renditions of Ustadji first and then my acoustic recitals on harmonium you will realize no creation can be copied."
"It is recantation in a sense and as long as the audience connects, you feel having clicked in your own medium. I wish today's youngsters can take up this form of art also, besides the classical instruments, and discover the whole new but so familiar world. The ragas are all there, but with typical nuances which can resonate only with a harmonium beat," he said.

Suvendu who has floated a facebook community page and gets more likes and comments from abroad than here, feels "I wish playhing solo harmonium for classical non-vocals doesn't end with me or my family.