By Dr.Jagadindra Raychoudhury

Inheritance signifies the transmission of trait from parents to their offspring. It reflects for a few personalities which has an in-depth source of creativity. Creativity leads them to such an ambience where they are able to mesmerize the mass people as well as the concerned music lovers.

However, the sweetness of the music touches the heart of listeners which turns him to a doyen of Hindustani classical music and is none other than the renowned classical vocalist with various specialties, Pandit Jasraj. He imbibes the first lesson of music especially bhakti element from his father who was a court musician singing every morning at 3 a.m. Pandit Jasraj believes the miracles of bhakti and understand its concentration when he came across with his spiritual guru Maharaj Jaywant singh.

Pandit Jasraj was born on 8th January, 1930 in Haryana. He belonged to a Brahmin family. He spent his early life in Hyderabad but later on went to Gujarat for studying music where he established himself of Mewati gharana. Initially he learned Indian classical music but switched over to semi classical as well as devotional music. He performed for Maharaj Jaywant Singh Waghela and received training from him.*Pandit jasraj breathed his last on 17th August, 2020 but he will always be remembered for taking the art beyond the rare field confines of a select set by imbuing khayal with an unmistakable element of bhakti rasa. The creation of complex ragas and held audiences spellbound with his craft leaves behind a storied legacy spanning more than eight decades.

Pandit jasraj breathed his last on 17th August, 2020 but he will always be remembered for taking the art beyond the rare field confines of a select set by imbuing khayal with an unmistakable element of bhakti rasa. The creation of complex ragas and held audiences spellbound with his craft leaves behind a storied legacy spanning more than eight decades.

Pandit Jasraj was born on 8th January, 1930 in Haryana. He belonged to a Brahmin family. He spent his early life in Hyderabad but later on went to Gujarat for studying music where he established himself of Mewati gharana. Initially he learned Indian classical music but switched over to semi classical as well as devotional music. He performed for Maharaj Jaywant Singh Waghela and received training from him.

No doubt, Pandit Jasraj got training in vocal but started his musical career as a tablist under supervision of his elder brother Pandit Pratap Narayan. It was Begum Akhtar who inspired him to take up classical music. As a result, at the age of 14 he started to get training in vocal. Pandit Jasraj initially took training with Pandit Maniram then Jaiwant Waghela, a renowned vocalist of beenkar and later on Gulam Qadir Khan of Mewati gharana. Panditji also got training under Swami Vallabhas Damuiji of Agra gharana .

At the age of 22 he performed his first performance in Kathmandu (Nepal) before the king Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah.

Pandit Jasraj belongs to Mewati gharana, school of music known as traditional performances of Khayasis. During his performances initially he incorporated some other gharana and for which he faced criticism but slowly and slowly everything was accepted by other musicians. Pandit Jasraj sang Khayals with some flexibility which was to some extent lighter than thumri.

Pandit Jasraj initiated a worth mentioning task with full initiative to start a jugalbandi which had some system of moorchana between male and female vocalist who sang differently at the same time. It is known to all concerned that panditji was famous for his performances in different ragas like Abiri, Todi and patdeepaki. Besides concentrating on classical music Panditji also extended his musicale trend to semi classical music called Haveli which was very much popular especially in temples.

Pandit Jasraj was also associated with film line by producing some sound track which was based on semi classical music. He sang Vandana karo based on Ahir Bhirav by the composer Vasanta Desi for the film “ Ladki Satyadri ki (1966). In another film, Birbal My Brother (1975), Panditji prepared a sound track in a duet with prominent classical maestro Bhimsen Joshi.

Pandit Jasraj took an initiative to organize an annual festival in the memory of his father in the name of Pandit Matiram, Pandit Maniram Sangeet Samaroah in Hyderabad. This festival was started since 1972 and became very much popular amongst the music lovers.

Panditji got married to Madhura Santaram, daughter of film director V. Santaram. Being daughter of a film director, Madhura had also directed a film for Jasraj in 2009 and another Marathi film, Aaj Tuza Ashirwad in 2010. Panditji is blessed with two children; son Shaarang Dev Pandit and daughter Durga Jasraj, both of them are also associated with classical music.

Pandit Jasraj always had a keen interest to share his classical music to his disciples not only across India but also abroad, countries like Newyork, New Jersey, Pittsburg, Atlanta, Toronto, Vancouver, etc. through school of classical music. In India he mainly concentrated his teaching in Mumbai and Kerela.

Pandit Jasraj was a recipient of various prestigious awards and honour including Padma Vibhusan and Sangeet Natak Academy. To give respect on his 87th birthday a production house called Navrasa Duende organized a classical music concert titled “My journey, an initiative evening with Pandit Jasraj at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

It is already mentioned that Panditji loved to share his musical teaching as much as both in India and abroad and even at the age of 90 he continued his teaching to the international students through skype.

Panditji was in New Jersey when the Covid 19 pandemic struck across the globe and had to stay there with his students. But, on 17th August, 2020 he had a massive heart attack and never revived his breathe. It is well known that Pandit Jasraj was one of those rare classical musician who loved by all for his outstanding performances not only in vocal but also in semi classical music with full of bhakti rasa .He will always be remembered in the soul of music lover as well as mass people for his legendry character in the field of classical music.

)Dr. Jagadindra Raychoudhury. e.mail : jagadindrar705@gmail.com)