Mahamateshwari's Gramophone

This is exactly like the gramophone which Mahamateshwari had purchased and which she played at Mussoorie over the years. (1945-1955) . It had a khaki cover and was fully black inside . She would buy songs of Saigal, and Noor Jahaan, Shamshad Begum, Pankaj Mullick, Suraiya and make everyone listen to them. It was quite a thrill getting the gramophone out and then everyone sitting around it to listen to these old, sad, melancholic sounds.

In later days songs of Rafi and Lata and Asha Bhosle were also added to this collection of her records - a collection which still exists to this day.

There was the Gramophone Record of 1942 made in Calcutta of the famous "Shanti Sandesh" HH Shri Mahaprabhuji's masterpiece of 4 pages which Bhutt Saheb acclaimed as the masterpiece of spiritual writing in which HH Shri Mahaprabhuji had given everything to the world.

Then there was the Gramophone made in Bombay in 1949 of the story of the Rangrez and the man whose clothes he dyed and then disappeared.
And there was the record of 1951 of Bombay containing a message of HH Shri Mahaprabhuji as well as the famous song of Mahamateshwari sung by her in her own recording in the Studio at Bombay.

These were also played on the HMV Gramophone at home. This gramophone got completely dilapidated and lies in Gurgaon. HH Shri Pran Nathji had made marvellous efforts to restore it but later it was broken amongst the baggage.

The HMV portable model 112, also called "The Camp Portable" was introduced in 1928. Then some more portable models of Gramophone were launched by HMV (His Master´s Voice).  There were many similar models like 101, 102 etc. They had a double-spring motor. It is a so-called "colonial model" and was manufactured by "The Gramophone Company of India" which was located in Calcutta, India. This machine was available with either gilt or nickel-plated external fittings.

The famous trademark image of HMV comes from a painting by English artist Francis Barraud, A.R.A. and titled His Master's Voice. The original title of the painting was "His Late Master's Voice" (and this phrase appears on many of the original RCA Victor labels), but the concept was considered too depressing for most of the public's tastes, and certainly for an image used as a means to put the consumer in the mood to buy. It was acquired from the artist in 1899 by the newly-formed Gramophone Company. According to contemporary Gramophone Company publicity material, the dog, a fox terrier called Nipper, had originally belonged to Barraud's brother Mark. When Mark Barraud died, Francis inherited Nipper, along with a cylinder phonograph and a number of recordings of Mark's voice. Francis noted the peculiar interest that the dog took in the recorded voice of his late master emanating from the trumpet, and conceived the idea of committing the scene to canvas

Some information used in the article is sourced from the book, "HIS MASTER'S GRAMOPHONE" by Brian Oakley & Christopher Proudfoot.
 There is also a photograph of 1937 on Shri Nathji listing to a box type Gramophone, with Devotees at Kohmuree hills near Rawalpindi. (Now in Pakistan)