Romance with the gramophones and gramophone records

Sound recording and reproduction is over 135 years old. Of various formats, flat disc records have ruled over 90 years. Gramophone machines and discs have entertained many generations. During 1902-1990, over half a Million titles of Indian music were issued on discs. This forms a major portion of our cultural heritage.

Hundreds of passionate persons have collected and preserved these recordings. Around 1990, 'Society of Indian Record Collectors' (SIRC) was formed to 'preserve, document and disseminate' the musical heritage represented through the grooves of the records.

In this talk, I shall briefly describe the achievements of SIRC and indicate future directions. The talk will be illustrated with few interesting examples of sound recordings and memorable events in collecting the discs.