Bevans, music shop and purchase of the Grand Piano.

Mateshwariji saw a large piano in Bevans, a music shop in Library, Mussoorie. She wished that Pran-Priya learn to play upon it. Pran Nath and Priya Nath visited the music shop frequently and played upon the piano, and grew very fond of it. The desire to bring it home began to grow in them. It would make Mateshwari happy.
 But the grand piano was much too expensive a thing to purchase for the casual pursuit of a hobby. Just then, however, the music shop shut down in Mussoorie, and the owner became eager to sell everything there and shift his residence elsewhere.
 He sold the piano at a very nominal price, almost gave it away to Pran Nath and Priya Nath, whose fingers danced over its keys in jubilation, even as its vibrant notes resonated in the halls of Savitri Nivas, to the joy of Mateshwari. That Piano is still kept lovingly at Saviti Nivas.

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Sardar Pratap Singh was a famous tabla player in Kabul, Afghanistan. The family later (around 1883) moved to Lahore and here they set-up a music store in the bustling Anarkali Bazaar. 1940s was a watershed moment in our history and the period saw massive migration of people between India and Pakistan. The family moved to Mussoorie before the partition and set up a music store (by the name of TE Bevan’s at Mussoorie). The shop was located close to the library area of the town. Eventually, Sardar Gurudial Singh (son of Sardar Pratap Singh) moved to Dehradunin 1949  (It was the same year when they were leaving Mussoorie that they sold their Grand Pianao to Shri Nathji. ) In Dehradoon the opened a new shop my name of   Pratap Music House, which become very famous.

Even the Beatles group knew him well and they even visited Pratap Music House in 1968, the year they spent in Rishikesh working on their superhit ‘The White Album Project’.. John Lennon got his guitar repaired by Ajit Singh whereas George Harrison (who had a keen interest in Indian Instruments) took cognizance of the variety offered by the store. George requested Ajit Singh to prepare a “Dilruba” instrument to be gifted to his then wife (Pattie Boyd) in Rishikesh. Ajit Singh visited the Beatles at the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram in Rishikesh to personally hand over the instrument to George and Pattie.

Pratap Music House is now being run by the 3^rd generation of the family (grand-sons and grand-daughter of Sardar Pratap Singh). They are Ajit Singh ji (unfortunately he passed away in 2021), Amrik Singh Ji and Mrs. Brijpal Kaur.