Kerappa Ramchandra Vhatkar was born in Kurul, Dist Kolhapur in 1932. He came to Mumbai in his young age. He was a kirtankar. He had a great love for making musical instruments. He took great pleasure in repairing instruments and developing new techniques to improve the quality of the instrument. He was successful in creating the same interest in both his sons. Ramchandra and Gangaram were good table makers. There was a lot of development in the instruments by the time the sons took over from Kerappa. Through his immense experience Kerappa had taught the secrets of this art to his sons. In 1932 he started a shop in Kurla, Mumbai. Kerappa was an musican himself and he wanted good an dvery well balanced musical instruments. The shop was doing good as a result. In 1965 Ramchandra Vhatkar started another shop in Lalbaug. The shop was named R.K. Vhatkar after the father of Kerappa. This shop picked up very well. Musicans from all over Mumbai, Maharashtra and some from all over India started coming to make and repair their instruments to the shop.

Ramchandra decided to come to Miraj and start a shop there. Miraj is famous for string instruments like Sitar, Tanpura, Dilruba and Sarangee.. It’s the place where this art has flourished and has a history for more than a hundred years. Vhatkar’s Tabla, started taking shape in Miraj. Ramchandra’s sons eventually started in this profession and did a lot of further development in the instruments.

Lot of research was done in the development of Tabla. The skins were earlier processed by others who did not know much of musical instrument. The Vhatkars started a new skin factory in 1983 where skins were processed at a higher precision and the best skins were chosen.

The Vhatkars got the S. R. Mule Puraskar – in 2001. They were also felicitated and honoured by the great Tabla Maestro Pandit Suresh Talkwakar.