A doyen of the Gwalior Gharana - the fountainhead of Hindustani classical music - Pandit Sharadchandra Arolkar was born in 1912, and groomed in the this tradition by three acknowledged masters: Pandit Krishnrao Shankar Pandit, his uncle Pandit Eknath Pandit and Pandit Krishnrao Mulye. He traces his lineage to the legendary Sadarang and Adarang - originators of the khayal - through the late Haddu-Hassu Khan and Nissar Hussain Khan.
Having assimilated the teachings of all his gurus over a lifetime of dedication, perseverance and disciplined scholarship. Pandit Arolkar moulded them into a style which, while retaining its pristine classicism, allows ample scope for creative expression. In one of his rare interviews, he said "What is the Gwalior Gharana but a mahanadi (great river) fed by many streams. When a style matures, it becomes a gharana." He imparted his insights in the aesthetics of music to Pandit Sharad Sathe.
Pandit Arolkar was honoured with the Sangeet Natak Academy award in 1979 in recognition of his scholarly eminence in Hindustani music. Pandit Arolkar died in 1994.