Jasraj

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Template:Short description Template:Good article Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox person Pandit Jasraj (28 January 1930<ref name="Khurana-2015">Template:Cite news</ref>  – 17 August 2020<ref name="et">Template:Cite news</ref>) was an Indian classical vocalist, belonging to the Mewati 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 including Haveli Sangeet and popularizing the Mewati 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.

Early life

Pandit Jasraj was born on 28 January 1930<ref name="Khurana-2015" /> in Pili Mandori, a village in the then Hisar district (now in Fatehabad district) of Haryana,Template:Refn in an artistic Brahmin family<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> to Pandit Motiram, a classical singer and Krishna Bai.<ref name="Sharma-2017">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite interview</ref> 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 of Mir Osman Ali Khan, the Nizam (ruler) of Hyderabad State.<ref name=mo>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Court">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite interview</ref> His eldest brother was vocalist Pandit 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 duo Jatin–Lalit, singer-actress Sulakshana Pandit and actress Vijeta Pandit. Pandit Pratap Narayan taught Jasraj to play tabla starting at age 7, but Jasraj decided that he wanted to only sing by 14.<ref name="journey">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Bhagat-2020" />

Jasraj spent his youth in Hyderabad, and travelled often to Sanand in Gujarat to study music with musicians of the Mewati gharana.<ref name="join">Template:Cite interview</ref><ref name="Paul-2015">Template:Cite news</ref> Jasraj performed for Thakur Jaiwant Singhji Vaghela, the Thakur Sahib of Sanand, who was deeply dedicated to classical music,<ref name="mastersvoice">Template:Cite interview</ref> and received training from him.<ref name="mastersvoice" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 1946, Jasraj moved to Calcutta, where he began singing classical music for radio.<ref name="Paul-2015" />

Personal life

Jasraj with his wife Madhura on the stage of Satsang Bhawan in Govind Dev Ji Temple, Jaipur (2011).

In 1962, Jasraj married Madhura Shantaram, the daughter of film director V. Shantaram, whom he had first met in 1960 in Bombay.<ref name="The Times of India">Template:Cite interview</ref> They initially lived in Calcutta, moving to Bombay in 1963.<ref name="jai">Template:Cite interview</ref> They had two children, a son, Shaarang Dev Pandit, a daughter, Durga Jasraj, and four grandchildren.<ref name="Bhagat-2020">Template:Cite news</ref>

Madhura made a film, Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasraj in 2009<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and directed her first Marathi film, Aai Tuza Ashirwad, in 2010, in which Jasraj and Lata Mangeshkar sang in Marathi.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Career

Jasraj at the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya Poonam-35, Bhopal, in 2015

Training

Jasraj was initiated into vocal music by his father, and later trained as a tabla accompanist under his elder brother, Pandit Pratap Narayan.<ref>Template:Cite interview</ref> He would frequently accompany Maniram in his solo vocal performances.<ref name="Sharma-2017" /> He credits the vocalist, Begum Akhtar, as inspiring him to take up classical music.<ref name="The Times of India"/>

Jasraj began training as a vocalist at the age of 14, after renouncing tabla in reaction to how accompanists were treated at the time .<ref>Template:Cite interview</ref><ref name="masters1">Template:Cite book</ref> 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 the court of King Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah of Nepal in Kathmandu.<ref name="Sharma-2017" /><ref name="disciples">Template:Cite interview</ref><ref>Template:Cite interview</ref> Before becoming a stage performer, Jasraj worked as a performing artist on radio for several years.<ref name="Khurana-2015" />

He initially trained as a classical vocalist with Pandit Maniram, and later with Jaiwant Singh Waghela, a vocalist and beenkar.<ref name="Paul-2015" />

Technique and style

Jasraj in a concert at Bhubaneswar

Classical music

Although Jasraj belonged to the Mewati gharana,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> a school of music known for its traditional performances of {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, Jasraj had sung khayals with some flexibility, adding elements of lighter styles, including the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.<ref name="Khurana-2015" /> During the initial stages of his career, he was criticised for incorporating elements from other schools of music, or {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, into his singing.<ref name="Khurana-2015" /> Musicologist S. Kalidas has noted, however, that this borrowing of elements across gharanas has now become more commonly accepted.<ref name="Khurana-2015" />

Jasraj created a novel form of {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} called Jasrangi that is styled on the ancient system of {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, between a male and a female vocalist, who each sing different ragas at the same time.<ref name="Sharma-2017" /><ref name="mo" /> He was also known for presenting a variety of rare ragas including Abiri Todi and Patdeepaki.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref name="scroll">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He had also 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),<ref name="scroll" /> a duet with vocalist Bhimsen Joshi for the soundtrack of the film Birbal My Brother (1975),<ref name="birb">Template:Cite news</ref> and a ballad, Vaada Tumse Hai Vaada for a horror film titled 1920 (2008) directed by Vikram Bhatt.<ref name="scroll" />

In memory of his father, Jasraj organised an annual musical festival called the Pandit Motiram Pandit Maniram Sangeet Samaroh in Hyderabad.<ref name="mo" /><ref name="Court" /> The festival has been held annually since 1972.<ref name="Paul-2015"/>

A 2023 stamp of India featuring Jasraj (center)

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 titled My Journey, an Intimate Evening with Pandit Jasraj at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi. He received a standing ovation.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

Teaching

Template:See also Template:See also Jasraj tutored several students who have gone on to perform as classical musicians, including Saptarshi Chakraborty,<ref name="journey"/> Sanjeev Abhyankar,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="disciples" /> violinist Kala Ramnath,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="disciples" /> Sandeep Ranade,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> shehnai player Lokesh Anand,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Tripti Mukherjee,<ref name="noage">Template:Cite news</ref> Suman Ghosh,<ref name="masters1" /> flautist Shashank Subramanyam,<ref>Template:Cite interview</ref><ref name="disciples" /> Anuradha Paudwal,<ref name="journey"/> Sadhana Sargam,<ref name="masters1" /> and Ramesh Narayan.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="noage" />

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.<ref name="Bhagat-2020" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> At age 90, he was teaching some of his international students through Skype.<ref>Template:Cite interview</ref><ref name="join"/><ref>Template:Cite interview</ref>

Death

Pandit Jasraj remained in the US when the country entered its COVID-19 lockdown.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He died at his home in New Jersey on 17 August 2020 at 5:15 am EST, due to cardiac arrest.<ref name="death1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His body was later repatriated on an Air India flight to Mumbai<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> where it was cremated with state honours and 21-gun salute at Pawan Hans Crematorium in Vile Parle.<ref name = "Legendary Vocalist Pandit Jasraj Cremated- NDTV">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name = "Pandit Jasraj funeral: - Hindustan Times" >Template:Cite news</ref> The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi said that his death "leaves a deep void in the Indian cultural sphere. Not only were his renditions outstanding, he also made a mark as an exceptional mentor to several other vocalists."<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref>

On 27 December 2023, Modi released a commemorative postage stamp to mark 50 years of Jasraj's music festival.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

Awards and honours

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Discography

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Performances in film soundtracks

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Notes

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References

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Discography references

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Further reading

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