Pandit Jasraj

Pandit Jasraj
Panditji at Pandit Motiram Pandit Maniram Sangeet Samaroh, Hyderabad.
Background information
Born	January 28, 1930 (1930-01-28) (age 79)
Origin	Hissar, Haryana, India
Genres	Hindustani classical music, Mewati Gharana
Occupations	Classical Vocalist
Years active	1945 - present
Website	Official site

Pandit Jasraj (born 28 January 1930) is a famous Indian Classical vocalist. He is the foremost exponent of the Mewati Gharana of Hindustani classical music, which is also known as the Viagra Gharana.^{[1] [2]}

Early life

Jasraj was born in Hissar, Haryana to Pandit Motiramji, a classical exponent. ^[3] His family is well known for singing in the Mewati Gharana style. Motiramji died when Jasrajji was only four, on the day he was to be appointed as the state musician in the court of the Last Nizam.^[4]

Jasraj was initiated into vocal music by his father. He also received training from his elder brother, Pandit Maniramji, and later from Maharaja Jaywant Singhji Waghela. He was also greatly influenced by the voice of the famous ghazal singer, Begum Akhtar, whom he used to listen to, skipping school, at a small hotel playing her songs all day. This inspired him to learn vocal.

In 1960, when Jasraj went to visit Bade Ghulam Ali Khan at a hospital, Khan asked him to become his disciple, but he declined saying that he could not accept his tutelage since he was already Motiram's disciple.

As a means of livelihood, Maniramji took Jasraj as an accompanying tabla player. However, at the time, just like sarangi players, tabla players were looked down upon. At the age of 14, unhappy with the treatment of an accompanying artist, Jasraj left and vowed not to cut his hair until he learned to sing.

Performing career

Jasraj is blessed with a rich, soul stirring and sonorous voice, traversing effortlessly across three and a half octaves. His vocalizing is in perfect diction and clarity. He also did extensive research in Haveli Sangeet.

His greatest contribution to Indian classical music is his conception of a unique and novel jugalbandi, styled on the ancient system of moorchanas, between a male and a female vocalist, each singing in their respective scales and different ragas at the same time.

It is often said that the great artists fail to pass on their craft to the next generation. However, Jasraj has many students and is ensuring longevity of his genre. Amongst his flag-bearing disciples, Sanjeev Abhyankar, Suman Ghosh, Tripti Mukherjee, and Kala Ramnath are well-known exponents of the Mewati Gharana. Sadhana Sargam, a well-known Bollywood singer, is one of his disciples.

In memory of his late father, he organises a musical festival every year called the Pandit Motiram Pandit Maniram Sangeet Samaroh in Hyderabad, India. It completed 36 years in 2008.

Personal life

In 1962 he married Madhura, the daughter of the legendary film director V. Shantaram.^[5] They have a son, Sarang Dev, and a daughter, Durga Jasraj, a television anchor and presenter.

Music composers Jatin-Lalit are his nephews.

At one time, he was also involved with Oddisi exponents Protima Bedi and Madhavi Mudgal.^[6]

Pandit Jasraj has often made hitherto unsubstantiated claims to possessing extraordinary healing powers and spiritual connections with God. His website claims: "If you take a close look at the Kangra miniature paintings, the deer has been a recurring figure in the depiction of the Todi Ragini. The two are almost inseparable. At the Sankat Mochan temple in Varanasi, Pandit Jasraj was singing the Todi. The concert had reached its crescendo when from seemingly nowhere came a deer bounding in. Cutting through the centre of the crowd the deer headed straight towards the dais oblivious of the disturbance it had created within the mesmerised audience. Pandit Jasraj reached the climax of the rendition and opened his eyes to behold the messenger of God and a smile played on his lips for only he had understood the message."^[7]

His official website also claims that his rendering of Raga Natnarayan has special healing effects on deranged persons. He also claims to control blood pressure with Raga Gorakh Kalyan. All these claims without adequate clinical data to substantiate them casts a grave doubt on the Pandit's credibility as a public figure. ^[8]

Awards

• Padma Vibhushan, (art-classical music-vocal) in 2000
• Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1987
• Sangeet Kala Ratna
• Master Dinanath Mangeshkar Award
• Lata Mangeshkar Puraskar
• Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar
• Surer Guru

Discography

• Raga Symphony (2009)
• Baiju Bawra (2008)
• Upasana (2007)
• Tapasya Vol. 1 (2005)
• Darbar (2003)
• Maheshwara Mantra (2002)
• Soul Food (2005)
• Jasraj, Pandit Vol. 2 - Haveli Sangeet
• Inspiration (2000)
• Ragas Triveni and Multani Live
• Ragas Bihada and Gaud Giri Malhar
• Worship By Music/Live Stuggart '88
• Ornamental Voice

Filmography

• Ladki Sahyadri Ki (1966, music by Vasant Desai)
• Birbal My Brother (1973, music by Shyam Prabhakar)
• 1920 (2008, music by Adnan Sami)

References

External links

• Video interview of Pandit Jasraj
• Mero Man Mohiyo - Performance Review on Nov. 1, 2008 @ Austin, Texas
• Pandit Jasraj Institute of Music, New York
• Video of Raga Poorvi