Pandit Jasraj (28 January 1930[4] – 17 August 2020[5]) was an Indianclassical vocalist, belonging to theMewati gharana (musical apprenticeship lineage). His musical career spanned 75 years resulting in national and international fame, respect and numerous major awards and accolades. His legacy includes memorable performances of classical and semi-classical vocal music, classical and devotional music, albums and film soundtracks, innovations in various genres includingHaveli Sangeet and popularizing theMewati Gharana – a school of thought in Hindustani classical music. Pandit Jasraj taught music to amateur and professional students in India, Europe, Canada and the United States.
Pandit Jasraj was born on 28 January 1930[4] in Pili Mandori, a village in the thenHisar district (now inFatehabad district) ofHaryana,[note 1] in an artisticBrahmin family[6] toPandit Motiram, a classical singer and Krishna Bai.[7][8] He was the youngest of three sons, in a family of classical singers. Motiram died in 1934 when Jasraj was four, on the day he was to be appointed as the state musician in the court ofMir Osman Ali Khan.[9][10][11] His eldest brother was vocalistPandit Maniram, who instructed Jasraj after the death of their father. Jasraj's elder brother,Pandit Pratap Narayan, was also an accomplished musician and was the father of music composer duoJatin–Lalit, singer-actressSulakshana Pandit and actressVijeta Pandit. Pandit Pratap Narayan taught Jasraj to play tabla starting at age 7, but Jasraj decided that he wanted to only sing by 14.[12][13]
Jasraj with his wife Madhura on the stage of Satsang Bhawan in Govind Dev Ji Temple, Jaipur (2011).
In 1962, Jasraj marriedMadhura Shantaram, the daughter of film directorV. Shantaram, whom he had first met in 1960 inBombay.[18] They initially lived in Calcutta, moving to Bombay in 1963.[19] They had two children, a son, Shaarang Dev Pandit, a daughter,Durga Jasraj, and four grandchildren.[13]
Jasraj was initiated into vocal music by his father, and later trained as atabla accompanist under his elder brother, Pandit Pratap Narayan.[23] He would frequently accompany Maniram in his solo vocal performances.[7] He credits the vocalist,Begum Akhtar, as inspiring him to take up classical music.[18]
Jasraj began training as a vocalist at the age of 14, after renouncing tabla in reaction to how accompanists were treated at the time .[24][25] He would practice singing close to 14 hours a day. In 1952 when he was 22 he performed his first stage concert as a vocalist in thecourt of KingTribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah of Nepal inKathmandu.[7][26][27] Before becoming a stage performer, Jasraj worked as a performing artist on radio for several years.[4]
He initially trained as a classical vocalist with Pandit Maniram, and later with Jaiwant Singh Waghela, a vocalist andbeenkar.[15]
Although Jasraj belonged to the Mewati gharana,[28] a school of music known for its traditional performances ofkhayals, Jasraj had sung khayals with some flexibility, adding elements of lighter styles, including thethumri.[4] During the initial stages of his career, he was criticised for incorporating elements from other schools of music, orgharanas, into his singing.[4]Musicologist S. Kalidas has noted, however, that this borrowing of elements acrossgharanas has now become more commonly accepted.[4]
Jasraj created a novel form ofjugalbandi calledJasrangi that is styled on the ancient system ofmoorchhana, between a male and a female vocalist, who each sing differentragas at the same time.[7][9] He was also known for presenting a variety of rare ragas including Abiri Todi and Patdeepaki.[29]
In addition to performing classical music, Jasraj had worked to popularise innovations in semi-classical musical styles, such asHaveli Sangeet, which involves semi-classical performances in temples.[30] He had also sung classical and semi-classical compositions for film soundtracks, such as the song, 'Vandana Karo', composed in the ragaAhir Bhairav by the composer Vasant Desai, for the filmLadki Sahyadri Ki (1966),[30] a duet with vocalistBhimsen Joshi for the soundtrack of the filmBirbal My Brother (1975),[31] and a ballad,Vaada Tumse Hai Vaada for a horror film titled1920 (2008) directed byVikram Bhatt.[30]
On 28 January 2017, the production house Navrasa Duende celebrated Jasraj's 87th birthday and 80 years of his service to music with a classical music concert titledMy Journey, an Intimate Evening with Pandit Jasraj atJawaharlal Nehru Stadium,New Delhi. He received a standing ovation.[32]
He was also the founder of schools for Indian classical music inAtlanta,Tampa,Vancouver,Toronto,New York,New Jersey,Pittsburgh, Mumbai, andKerala. Jasraj would spend six months of each year in the United States and Canada at either his home in New Jersey, teaching, or touring.[13][41][42] At age 90, he was teaching some of his international students throughSkype.[43][14][44]
^"The Sun of Music".Khabar (Interview). Interviewed by Parthiv N. Parekh. Archived fromthe original on 23 July 2012. Retrieved14 August 2019.
^abcThakur, Pradeep (12 September 2010).Indian Music Masters of Our Times- Part 1. Punjab, India: Pradeem Thakur & Sons. pp. 179–190.ISBN9788190870566.
Qamar, Jamshed (28 January 2017)."पंडित जसराज की सालगिरह पर, उनके संघर्ष की कहानी" [On the anniversary of Pandit Jasraj, the story of his struggle].www.gaonconnection.com (in Hindi). Retrieved22 August 2019.
