Who is Pandit Jasraj ?

Pandit Jasraj (28 January 1930  – 17 August 2020)  was an Indian classical vocalist, belonging to the Mewati gharana (musical apprenticeship lineage).  His musical career spanned more than 80 years and led to numerous major awards. His performances of classical and semi-classical vocals became albums and film soundtracks. Jasraj taught music in India, Canada and the US. Some of his students became notable musicians such as violinist Kala Ramnath.

Jasraj was born on 28 January 1930 in Pili Mandori, a village in the Hisar district of Haryana,  in a middle-class Brahmin family to Pandit Motiram, a classical singer. 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. 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. His eldest brother was vocalist Pandit Maniram.

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 Maharaj Jaywant Singh Waghela, the Thakur Sahib of Sanand, who was deeply dedicated to classical music, and received training from him.

In 1946, Jasraj moved to Calcutta, where he began singing classical music for radio.

Music Education.

Jasraj was initiated into vocal music by his father, and later trained as a tabla accompanist under his elder brother, Pandit Pratap Narayan. He would frequently accompany Maniram in his solo vocal performances. He credits the vocalist, Begum Akhtar, as inspiring him to take up classical 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.  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.  Before becoming a stage performer, Jasraj worked as a performing artist on radio for several years.

He initially trained as a classical vocalist with Pandit Maniram, and later with Jaiwant Singh Waghela, a vocalist and beenkar, and Gulam Qadir Khan of Mewati gharana. In addition, he trained under Swami Vallabhdas Damulji of the Agra gharana.

Technique and style-

He had founded the Jasrangi Style Called as Murchana,

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Classical music

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 for incorporating elements from other schools of music, or gharanas, into his singing. Musicologist S. Kalidas has noted, however, that this borrowing of elements across gharanas has now become more commonly accepted.

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, who each sing different ragas at the same time. He was also known for presenting a variety of rare ragas including Abiri Todi and Patdeepaki.

Death

Pandit Jasraj remained in the US when the country entered its COVID-19 pandemic  He died on 17 August 2020 at 5:15 am EST, due to cardiac arrest, at his home in New Jersey. 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.

Raag Adana by Pandit Jasraj Ji.

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