Aug18,2020:Indian classical vocalist Pandit Jasraj passed away at the age of 90 on Monday. He died of cardiac arrest at his house in New Jersey state of US.
With musical career spanning over 80 years, Pandit Jasraj was awarded with honours such as Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan.
Expressing his condolences on the demise of the legendary singer, PM Narendra Modi tweeted, “Not only were his renditions outstanding, he also made a mark as an exceptional mentor to several other vocalists.”
The music legend is survived by daughter Durga Jasraj and son Shaarang Dev Pandit.
Pandit Jasraj, will be remembered for taking the art beyond the rarefied confines of a select set by imbuing khayal with an unmistakable element of bhakti rasa.
The foremost exponent of the Mewati gharana moved away from Dhrupad and brought an element of devotional singing to khayal by employing harkats and murkis that were associated with light classical music.
Born in a village in Hisar district of Haryana, Pandit Jasraj started as a tabla player and was known as an able accompanist in the classical circuit in Kolkata before turning to classical singing. He learnt from his father Pandit Motiram and elder brother Pandit Maniram but drew inspiration from various sources, including Begum Akhtar.
He was also a master of haveli sangeet and could speak for hours about its journey and rich history. A keen student of philosophy and spirituality, he loved to spend time with J. Krishnamurti, who loved his singing.
He was married to Madhura Shantaram, daughter of the legendary filmmaker V. Shantaram and often talked about his conversations with his father-in-law who made many classical music and dance-based films. “It was he who always pushed me to have clarity in my voice,” he would fondly remember.
