Apparently, harmonium solo pieces are still banned by AIR.
It is said that the ban was initiated by John Foulds, head of the Delhi station's Western music section as he believed that the harmonium's tuning limitations could not handle the microtonal requirements of Hindustani music. He also contended that the instrument often overshadowed the singer during broadcasts.
Post independence, the ban continued to remain under the auspices of B.V. Keskar, the I&B minister under Nehru (who was himself not a fan of the instrument).
