Kalyanji and Anandji were born to Virji Shah, who migrated from Kutch to Mumbai to start a Kirana (provision store) business. The two brothers began to learn music from a music teacher, who actually knew no music, who taught them in lieu of paying his bills to their father. One of their four grand parents, was a folk musician of some eminence. They spent most of their formative years in the hamlet of Girgaum (a district in Mumbai) amidst Marathi and Gujarati environs — some eminent musical talent resided in the vicinity.