Jasraj is an Indian classical vocalist, belonging to the Mewati gharana. His musical career has spanned more than 80 years and led to numerous major awards. His performances of classical and semi-classical vocals have become albums and film soundtracks. Jasraj has taught music in India, Canada and the US. Some of his students have in turn become notable musicians such as violinist Kala Ramnath.
Early life
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 is 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 MaharajJaywant 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.
Personal life
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 have two children, a son, Shaarang Dev Pandit, and a daughter, Durga Jasraj. Madhura made a film, Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasraj in 2009 and directed her first Marathi film, Aai Tuza Ashirwad, in 2010, in which her husband and Lata Mangeshkar sang in Marathi.
Career
Training
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 SwamiVallabhdas Damulji of the Agra gharana.
Technique and style
Classical music
Although Jasraj belongs to the Mewati gharana, a school of music known for its traditional performances of khyal, Jasraj has 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 is also known for presenting a variety of rare ragas including Abiri Todi and Patdeepaki.
In addition to performing classical music, Jasraj has worked to popularise semi-classical musical styles, such as Haveli Sangeet, which involves semi-classical performances in temples. He has also sung classical and semi-classical compositions for film soundtracks, such as the song, 'Vandana Karo', composed in the ragaAhir Bhairav by the composer Vasant Desai, for the film Ladki Sahyadri Ki, a duet with vocalist Bhimsen Joshi for the soundtrack of the film Birbal My Brother, and a ballad, Vaada Tumse Hai Vaada for a horror film titled 1920 directed by Vikram Bhatt. In memory of his father, Jasraj organises a musical festival every year called the Pandit Motiram Pandit Maniram Sangeet Samaroh in Hyderabad. The festival has been held annually since 1972. 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.
