Pandit Jasraj (28 January 1930 – 17 August 2020) was an Indian classical vocalist, belonging to the Mewati gharana (musical apprenticeship lineage). Pandit Jasraj was born in Pili Mandori, a village in the then Hisar district (now in Fatehabad district) of Haryana, in a Brahmin artist family to Pandit Motiram, a classical singer and Krishna Bai. He was the youngest of three sons. His father Motiram died in 1934 when Jasraj was four, on the day he was to be appointed as the state musician in the court of Mir Osman Ali Khan, the last Nizam of Hyderabad State. After his father died, Jasraj’s eldest brother Maniram Pandit became the patriarch of his family and moved them to Hyderabad where he became a court musician and left his mark in classical vocal music.
Pandit Maniram, taught music to 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 duo Jatin–Lalit, singer-actress Sulakshana Pandit and actress Vijeta Pandit) who taught Jasraj to play tabla starting at age 7. He would frequently accompany Maniram in his solo vocal performances. Jasraj was inspired and influenced by the vocalist, Begum Akhtar, to take up classical vocal music. Jasraj began training as a vocalist at the age of 14, after renouncing tabla in reaction to how accompanists were treated at the time.
Music journey
Jasraj spent his youth in Hyderabad, and travelled often to Sanand in Gujarat to study music with musicians of the Mewati gharana. Jasraj performed for Thakur Jaiwant Singhji Vaghela a beenkar (beenkar is a gharana based on the ancient been instrument, known for its resonance)
the Thakur Sahib of Sanand, who was deeply dedicated to classical music, and received training from him. Jasraj had very high regard for Gulam Qadir Khan who was associated with Mewati Gharana, who was a sufi type of person and never sought fame or money. Jasraj would practice singing close to 14 hours a day. In 1947, Jasraj moved to Calcutta, where he began singing classical music for radio.
In 1952 when he was 22 he performed his first stage concert as a vocalist in the court of King Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah of Nepal in Kathmandu. Although Jasraj belonged to the Mewati gharana, a school of music known for its traditional performances of khayals, Jasraj had sung khayals with some flexibility, adding elements of lighter styles, including the thumri. During the initial stages of his career, he was criticised by the traditionalists for incorporating elements from other schools of music, or gharanas, into his singing. He had the uniqueness of singing complex and difficult classical compositions with ease and effortlessly.
In 1962, Jasraj married Madhura Shantaram, the daughter of film director V. Shantaram, whom he had first met in 1960 in Bombay. They initially lived in Calcutta, moving to Bombay in 1963. They had two children, a son, Shaarang Dev Pandit, a daughter, Durga Jasraj, and four grandchildren.
Films
Jasraj had sung classical and semi-classical compositions for film soundtracks, such as the song, ‘Vandana Karo’, composed in the raga Ahir Bhairav by the composer Vasant Desai, for the film Ladki Sahyadri Ki (1966), a duet with vocalist Bhimsen Joshi for the soundtrack of the film Birbal My Brother (1973, music by Shyam Prabhakar, based on Malkauns)), “Neend Na Aaye” in Ek Hasina Thi (2004, music by Amar Mohile), A song in Life of Pi (2012, music by Mychael Danna, based on Ahir Bhairav) and a ballad, Vaada Tumse Hai Vaada for a horror film titled 1920 (2008) directed by Vikram Bhatt and music composed by Adnan Sami.
Jasrangi
Jasraj created a novel form of jugalbandi called Jasrangi that is styled on the ancient system of moorchhana, between a male and a female vocalist, where each sing different ragas at the same time in two different scales. Moorchana is a sequential arrangement of seven notes, in ascent or descent, but beginning every time on a different note. He has several musical recordings and albums to his credit which have become very popular. To name a few –
Discography
- Raga Symphony (2009)
- Anuraag (2000)
- Devotionally Yours
- The Glory of Dawn – Morning Raagas (2005)
- Invocation (1993)
- Kanha
- Khazana (2008)
- In Concert Vancouver Vols. 1 & 2 (1997)
- Malhar – A Downpour of Music (2005)
- The Meditative Music of Pandit Jasraj
- Parampara – The Mewati Tradition
- Pride of India (2002)
- Multaani & Din-ki-Purya
- Shri Krishna Anuraag (2000)
- Songs of Krishna Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 (2000)
- The Spiritual Journey (2005)
- Baiju Bawra Vols. 1 & 2 (2008)
- Devi Upasana (2007)
- Miyan Tansen Vol 1 & Vol 2 (2006)
- Tapasya Vol. 1 (2005)
- Darbar (2003)
- Maheshwara Mantra (2002)
- Soul Food (2005)
- Haveli Sangeet (2001)
- Inspiration (2000)
- Ragas Triveni and Multani Live
- Ragas Bihagda and Gaud Giri Malhar
- Worship By Music/Live Stuggart ’88
- Ornamental Voice
Haveli Sangeet
He was also known for effortlessly presenting a variety of rare ragas including Ahiri Todi and Patdeepaki. In addition to performing classical music, Jasraj had worked to popularise innovations in semi-classical musical styles, such as Haveli Sangeet, which involves semi-classical performances in temples. Haveli Sangeet is a form of Hindustani classical music sung in havelis in which the essential component is dhrupad. It originated in Govardhan, Mathura in Braj, northern India. It takes the form of devotional songs sung daily to Krishna by the Pustimarg sect or Vallabha Sampradāya, a Hindu Vaiṣhṇava saṁpradāya. It was established in the early 16th century by Vallabha (1479–1530) and further developed by his descendants, particularly his son Viṭṭhalanātha. Followers of the Puṣṭimārga worship Kr̥ṣṇa and engage in devotional practices centered around the youthful Kr̥ṣṇa as depicted in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, and the pastimes at Govardhan Giri. Pandit Jasraj was influenced by his spiritual guru Maharaja Jaiwant Singh which was reflected in his classical vocal music that had a deep element of bhakti (devotion).
He was also the founder of schools for Indian classical music in Atlanta, Tampa, Vancouver, Toronto, New York, New Jersey, Pittsburgh, Mumbai, and Kerala. Jasraj would spend six months of each year in the United States and Canada at either his home in New Jersey, teaching, or touring.
Awards and honours
- Padma Shri (1975)
- Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1987)
- Padma Bhushan (1990)
- Padma Vibhushan (2000)
- Swathi Sangeetha Puraskaram (2008)
- Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (2010)
- Pu La Deshpande lifetime achievement award (2012)
- Bharat Ratna Bhimsen Joshi Classical Music Life Achievement Award (2013)
- Sumitra Charat Ram Award for Lifetime Achievement (2014)
- Marwar Sangeet Ratna Award (2014)
- Gangubai Hangal Lifetime Achievement Award (2016)
Pandit Jasraj’s wife Madhura made a film, Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasraj in 2009 and directed her first Marathi film, Aai Tuza Ashirwad, in 2010, in which Jasraj and Lata Mangeshkar sang in Marathi.
A minor planet named after Pandit Jasraj
International Astronomical Union (IAU) has named the minor planet i.e., asteroid 2006 VP32 (number-300128 – which is Pandit Jasraj’s date of birth in reverse order). It was discovered on November 11, 2006 by astronomers with the Mount Lemmon Survey and been named Panditjasraj. This planet traverses the cosmos between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter in the solar system. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 27 August 2019 (M.P.C. 115895). After being felicitated with this honour, Padma Vibhushan awardee Pandit Jasraj has become the first Indian musician to join immortal composers like Mozart, Beethoven and Tenor Luciano Pavarotti in the galaxy.
Raga Todi and the Deer
There’s a lovely anecdote, frequently recounted, linked to his music. In 1996, at a concert in the Sankat Mochan temple in Benares, when Panditji was performing Raga Todi, a deer ran past the audience, and stopped next to the stage, transfixed by the music. The moment invoked an older legend — of a concert five hundred years ago, when in the 16th Century, legendary singers Tansen and Baiju Bawra sang at a recital in Agra. It is said that when Tansen began to sing the Todi, a herd of deer, drawn by his voice, came rushing into the audience.
Later, while recollecting this incident Pandit Jasraj said, “Oho, it was only one deer. I will always remember the moment. You can’t forget things like that. I had my eyes closed while I was singing and when I opened my eyes, the deer was looking straight into them.”
The author of this article had a memorable meeting with Pandit Jasraj when the author was working with Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait, Hyderabad, in 2001. On invitation from the bank Pandit Jasraj visited the bank. In the get together on his visit, the author had the privilege to sing two Hindi songs by whistle -Ajaare .. Pardesi – Film Madhumathi (1958) and Sari Sari Raat Teri Yaad Sataye.. Film -Aji Bss Shukriya (both the songs sung by Lata Mangeshkar) and received Pandit Jasraj’s appreciation.
At age 90, he was teaching some of his international students through online (Skype). Pandit Jasraj remained in the US when the country entered its COVID-19 lockdown. He died at his home in New Jersey on 17 August 2020. due to cardiac arrest. His body was later repatriated on an Air India flight to Mumbai where it was cremated with state honours and 21-gun salute at Pawan Hans Crematorium in Vile Parle.
Sangeet Samaroha
In 1972, in his father’s memory Pandit Jasraj started an annual music festival “Pandit Motiram Sangeet Samaroha”. After the demise of his eldest brother Pandit Maniram in 1985, this festival was renamed as “Pandit Motiram, Pandit Maniram Sangeet Samaroha”. For Pandit Jasraj’s service towards the culture and music he was given an award titled “Son of Hyderabad” by the AP State Government. He received this award from the hands of Bharat Ratna M S Subbalakshmi.
After his death in the year 2020, the Annual Sangeet Samaroha is now called, “Pandit Jasraj, Pandit Motiram, Pandit Maniram Sangeet Samaroha”. In 2022, when the Samaroha was celebrating its 50th year, Department of Posts issued commemorative postage stamp on Pandit Jasraj, Pandit Motiram, Pandit Maniram Sangeet Samaroha.
