Music Indian legend Pandit Jasraj passes away

Music legend Padmavibhushan Pandit Jasraj passed away at the age of 90. His daughter Durga Jasraj had confirmed the news, stating that the celebrated musician had passed away in the US. He is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.

A recipient of the Padma Shri (1975), Padma Bhushan (1990) too, Pandit Jasraj was a doyen of Hindustani classical music. He 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 Hisar, Haryana, in a family of classical musicians, Panditji was a legend whose voice defied age and travelled all the five octaves effortlessly

The Padma Vibhushan awardee 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.

Back in 2019, a minor planet, between Mars and Jupiter, was named after the famed musician. "It was made official by IAU on September 23, followed by a citation," his daughter Durga Jasraj had informed the press.

Expressing his happiness, Pandit Jasraj said, "This is beyond my dreams. In this honour, one can experience only God’s Grace. For me, the proximity of the minor planet to Jupiter (Guru as per Hindu Astrology) is an indication that my Gurus willed it with their blessings. Music spreads love and unites souls.

I am truly humbled, but this honour belongs to our divine Indian Classical Music, our great nation... Jai Ho” he had quoted.

At a time when the gharana system was quite rigid, Pandit Jasraj, while greatly influenced by Ustad Amir Khan of the Indore gharana, incorporated elements from other gharanas into his music. For almost two decades, he faced criticism from all quarters on this account, until people began noticing the revolutionary sound.

The purists took time to compliment him, but the connoisseurs couldn’t resist the charm of his Sanskrit stotras, his mastery over shuddha madhyam notes and his ability to play with light and heavy and popular and rare ragas like Durga, Jog and Abeer Todi with equal felicity. He would often end his concert with a kirtan.

The devotion element took birth in him when he saw his father who was a court musician singing every morning at 3 a.m. But it was his association with his spiritual guru Maharana Jaywant Singh of the erstwhile princely state of Sanand in Gujarat that made him believe in the miracles of devotion.

It is heard that, once his elder brother is said to have lost his voice. It was said to be restored after the Maharana, a devotee of goddess Durga made him sing Mata Kalike.

“I have seen many such miracles from close quarters. It filled me with the belief that the Almighty holds your hand and takes you to the path you are made for, without you even realising it,” Pandit Jasraj said during a conversation.

After the news of his death was declared, social media got flooded with condolence messages from the entertainment industry, political industry.

PM Narendra Modi expressed his condolences and shared on Twitter, "The unfortunate demise of Pandit Jasraj Ji 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. Condolences to his family and admirers worldwide. Om Shanti.

With his death, India seem to have seen the end of a musical golden era!