Last and the oldest gramophone shop in Jaipur

JAIPUR: It does not look any different from other shops, but shop no–33 at Ramganj market, Jaipur, has been a place that has attracted music lovers from all over the world. While an old Hindi song, ‘kaun hai jo sapno mein aya’ played loudly on a red-coloured speaker of a vintage gramophone, Mohd. Abdul Aleem (48), the fourth generation from the family, sitting at the cash counter, felt nostalgic while telling the story of the oldest and the only remaining gramophone shop in Jaipur.
“Before internet, YouTube, mp3 and mp4 players were in trend, people used to visit this shop, brainstorming while purchasing a record to be played on their gramophone. This shop was opened by my great–grandfather in 1902 and the British, royals and aristocrats used to visit here to collect their favorite records,” said Aleem, with pride.

The oldest gramophone in the shop is HMV–146, made in England in 1926. Only three parts were manufactured at that time. Today, the cost of this gramophone is around Rs 3 lakh but Aleem refuses to sell it as he describes it to be his family heritage.

Aleem said, “They range fro m Rs 10,000 to Rs 2 lakh or more as per the age of the set. Gramophones are still being manufactured in the country but they are of inferior quality. Our shop has only authentic pieces which we purchase, repair and sell. There are no such parts which I can’t repair. I get orders from all over the world including different royal families of Rajasthan.”

Thousands of records of Hindi, English and Marwari songs are available at this shop. Before gramophones went out of fashion, his grandfather started his own music record company where they recorded thousands of Marwari songs.

“You cannot find Marwari vinyl records anywhere else. My father took this forward. We had a record studio on the first floor of this shop. But everything got burnt into ashes during the time of two riots in Jaipur city in which our shop was also targeted. We lost almost everything in those violent times. Our residence is behind the shop and my family was saved by my neighbours who risked their lives and dragged my family out of fire. We had to start from scratch but it is the result of the hard work of my father that we are still in business,” said Aleem.
The shop has gramophones of every generation and company. Be it HMV, Colombia, Gerad, Victor and Decca. The first gramophone was of glass record which was also called as ‘Chudi Baja’ in local dialect earlier. Then came single-side disc records, double-side and at last, Super–7.
With new technology available in the market, these oldies are fading away, but music lovers and connoisseurs still come here, in search of the good old days.