Seeker You're right. Thanks for the word of caution here, my experience is very much outdated. And thank you!
pseudonym58 Thank you so much!
I've only played a foot-operated harmonium once and it was absolutely glorious. They are definitely bigger commitments though and are more demanding to operator.
Indian harmoniums come in a spectrum too, from ones with leaky bellows to ones that have near endless sustain... there are definitely a lot of factors involved, the bellows themselves, the number of reed banks, the type of coupler if any, and of course the playing style.