Pandit Jasraj
Encyclopedia
Pandit Jasraj is an Indian classical
vocalist. He is the foremost exponent of the Mewati Gharana
of Hindustani classical music
.
, Haryana
in an orthodox brahmin
family to Pandit Motiramji, a classical exponent. 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.
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. In addition, he trained under Swami Vallabhdas of the Agra Gharana. In 1960, when Jasraj went to visit Bade Ghulam Ali Khan in hospital, Khan asked him to become his disciple, but Jasraj declined saying that he could not accept Khan's tutelage since he was already Maniramji'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 as minor artists. At the age of 14, unhappy with his treatment as an accompanying artist, Jasraj left and vowed not to cut his hair until he learned to sing. He finally cut his hair after garnering his first AIR Radio performance, where he sang Raag Kaunsi Kanada.
Jasraj's vocal range extends across three-and-a-half octave
s. His vocalizing is in perfect diction
and clarity, a trademark of the Mewati Gharana
's style of Khayal. He has also done extensive research in Haveli Sangeet under Baba Shyam Manohar Goswami Maharaj to create numerous innovative bandish
(composition).
His greatest contribution to Indian classical music is his conception of a unique and novel jugalbandi, styled on the ancient system of Moorchana, between a male and a female vocalist, each singing in their respective scales and different raga
s at the same time. In his honor, this legendary jugalbandi is known as The Jasrangi. This name was coined by music connoisseurs in Pune
.
Jasraj has many students, and is ensuring the longevity of his genre. Amongst his flag-bearing disciples, Rattan Mohan Sharma
, Sanjeev Abhyankar
, Ramesh Narayan
, Suman Ghosh
, Tripti Mukherjee
, Radharaman Kirtane, Girish Wazalwar, Chandrashekhar Swamy, Hemang Mehta, Pritam Bhattacharjee
, Gargi Siddhant 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. He has graced the Savai Gandharva Music Festival's stage innumerable times over the last forty years, and continues to do so even today; his legendary 1992 presentation of Raag Ahir Bhairav
, in the unmistakable Mewati Style, is a favorite among listeners even today. He is also recognized as a master of the Bhairav family of Raags, along with the legendary Raags Darbari Kanada
, Miya ki Malhar, and Jog
. He is also known for presenting a wide variety of Rare Raags including Gyankali, Abiri Todi, Dhanashree, Patdeepki, Purba, Bhavsakh, Devsakh, Gunji Kanada and Charju Ki Malhar.
, who he had first met in 1955 during the filming of Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje
. After marriage the couple lived in Kolkata for some time. They have a son, Shaarangdev Pandit, and a daughter, Durga Jasraj
, a television anchor and presenter. Madhura has directed documentaries and children’s plays, apart from directing and producing acclaimed ballets, Geet Govind, Kaan Kahaani and Surdas and the TV series, Faster Phene. She made a film, Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasraj in 2009 and in 2010, directed her first Marathi film, Aai Tuzha Aashirwad, in which her husband and Lata Mangeshkar have sung in Marathi.
Music composers Jatin-Lalit are his nephews and Sulakshana Pandit
is his niece.
Filmography
Indian classical music
The origins of Indian classical music can be found in the Vedas, which are the oldest scriptures in the Hindu tradition. Indian classical music has also been significantly influenced by, or syncretised with, Indian folk music and Persian music. The Samaveda, one of the four Vedas, describes music...
vocalist. He is the foremost exponent of the Mewati Gharana
Mewati Gharana
The Mewati Gharana is a stylized musical family-hood of Hindustani classical music founded in the late 19th century by Utd. Ghagge Nazir Khan of Jodhpur. An offshoot of the Gwalior Gharana, the Mewati Gharana acquired its name after the region from which its founding exponents hailed: the Mewar...
of Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music is the Hindustani or North Indian style of Indian classical music found throughout the northern Indian subcontinent. The style is sometimes called North Indian Classical Music or Shāstriya Sangeet...
.
Early life
Jasraj was born in HisarHisar, India
Hisar city, previously spelled Hissar, is the administrative headquarters of Hisar district, in the state of Haryana, in northwestern India. Hisar was founded in 1354 CE, as Hissar-e-Firoza by Firoz Shah Tughlaq, who reigned over the Sultanate of Delhi from 1351 to 1388. on the demolished ruins...
, Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
in an orthodox brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
family to Pandit Motiramji, a classical exponent. His family is well known for singing in the Mewati Gharana
Mewati Gharana
The Mewati Gharana is a stylized musical family-hood of Hindustani classical music founded in the late 19th century by Utd. Ghagge Nazir Khan of Jodhpur. An offshoot of the Gwalior Gharana, the Mewati Gharana acquired its name after the region from which its founding exponents hailed: the Mewar...
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.
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. In addition, he trained under Swami Vallabhdas of the Agra Gharana. In 1960, when Jasraj went to visit Bade Ghulam Ali Khan in hospital, Khan asked him to become his disciple, but Jasraj declined saying that he could not accept Khan's tutelage since he was already Maniramji's disciple.
As a means of livelihood, Maniramji took Jasraj as an accompanying tabla
Tabla
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
player. However, at the time, just like sarangi
Sarangi
The Sārangī is a bowed, short-necked string instrument of India which is originated from Rajasthani folk instruments. It plays an important role in India's Hindustani classical music tradition...
players, tabla players were looked down upon as minor artists. At the age of 14, unhappy with his treatment as an accompanying artist, Jasraj left and vowed not to cut his hair until he learned to sing. He finally cut his hair after garnering his first AIR Radio performance, where he sang Raag Kaunsi Kanada.
Performing career
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
s. His vocalizing is in perfect diction
Diction
Diction , in its original, primary meaning, refers to the writer's or the speaker's distinctive vocabulary choices and style of expression in a poem or story...
and clarity, a trademark of the Mewati Gharana
Mewati Gharana
The Mewati Gharana is a stylized musical family-hood of Hindustani classical music founded in the late 19th century by Utd. Ghagge Nazir Khan of Jodhpur. An offshoot of the Gwalior Gharana, the Mewati Gharana acquired its name after the region from which its founding exponents hailed: the Mewar...
's style of Khayal. He has also done extensive research in Haveli Sangeet under Baba Shyam Manohar Goswami Maharaj to create numerous innovative bandish
Bandish
Bandish, Cheez or Gat is a fixed, melodic composition in Hindustani vocal or instrumental music. It is set in a specific raga, performed with rhythmic accompaniment by a tabla or pakhavaj, a steady drone, and melodic accompaniment by a sarangi, violin or harmonium. There are different ways of...
(composition).
His greatest contribution to Indian classical music is his conception of a unique and novel jugalbandi, styled on the ancient system of Moorchana, between a male and a female vocalist, each singing in their respective scales and different raga
Raga
A raga is one of the melodic modes used in Indian classical music.It is a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is made...
s at the same time. In his honor, this legendary jugalbandi is known as The Jasrangi. This name was coined by music connoisseurs in Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
.
Jasraj has many students, and is ensuring the longevity of his genre. Amongst his flag-bearing disciples, Rattan Mohan Sharma
Rattan Mohan Sharma
Rattan Mohan Sharma is an Indian classical vocalist. He sings in Hindustani style of music.-Early life:Rattan Mohan Sharma was born in Rajasthan and is the nephew of classical vocalist, Pandit Jasraj...
, Sanjeev Abhyankar
Sanjeev Abhyankar
Pandit Sanjeev Abhyankar is a Hindustani classical music vocalist of the Mewati Gharana.He won the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer in 1999, for his song, Suno Re Bhaila" in Hindi film Godmother -Early life:...
, Ramesh Narayan
Ramesh Narayan
Ramesh Narayan is a Hindustani vocalist from Kerala in south India, and is also an acclaimed film music director. He has given concerts in several parts of his country and abroad...
, Suman Ghosh
Suman Ghosh
-Early life:Suman Ghosh began training at the age of 7 under the guidance of his mother Monika Ghosh. Later he trained under the maestros like Pandit Shrikant Bakre, Padmabhushan Pandit Jnan Prakash Ghosh, and finally, the living legend of Indian music, Padma-vibhushan Pandit Jasraj.-Career:Suman...
, Tripti Mukherjee
Tripti Mukherjee
Pandita Tripti Mukherjee is an Indian classical vocalist. She belongs to Mewati Gharana.-Career:Tripti Mukherjee and her commitment over the past 14 years to spreading India's rich culture and heritage in their purest forms throughout America....
, Radharaman Kirtane, Girish Wazalwar, Chandrashekhar Swamy, Hemang Mehta, Pritam Bhattacharjee
Pritam Bhattacharjee
Pritam Bhattacharjee is an Indian classical vocalist. He sings in Hindustani style of music.-Early life:He was born to Monjushree Bhattacharjee, a musician. He was trained under Amarendra Chakraborty till the age of 14. He also trained under Pandit Jasraj....
, Gargi Siddhant and Kala Ramnath
Kala Ramnath
Kala Ramnath , is an Indian violinist. She belongs to the Mewati gharana. She was awarded the Jasraj award in 1999.-Early life:...
are well-known exponents of the Mewati Gharana. Sadhana Sargam
Sadhana Sargam
Sadhana Sargam is an acclaimed Indian playback singer. She is a recipient of the prestigious National Film Award and Filmfare Awards.Sargam has sung in many Indian languages for films, television serials and music albums. She is well known for her 90s Hindi songs and recent South Indian songs. She...
, a well-known Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
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
Pandit Motiram Pandit Maniram Sangeet Samaroh
Pandit Motiram Pandit Maniram Sangeet Samaroh is an annual Indian classical music festival held at Chowmahalla Palace in Hyderabad, India. The festival is organised by noted classical singer Pandit Jasraj in memory of his father and brother, both classical musicians of repute...
in Hyderabad, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It completed 36 years in 2008. He has graced the Savai Gandharva Music Festival's stage innumerable times over the last forty years, and continues to do so even today; his legendary 1992 presentation of Raag Ahir Bhairav
Ahir bhairav
Ahir Bhairav is a Hindustani classical raga. It is a mixture of Bhairav and the ancient but now rare raga Ahiri or Abhiri, or perhaps a mixture of Bhairav and Kafi.-Arohana and avarohana :ArohanaS r G m P D n S'AvarohanaS' n D P m G r SKey:...
, in the unmistakable Mewati Style, is a favorite among listeners even today. He is also recognized as a master of the Bhairav family of Raags, along with the legendary Raags Darbari Kanada
Darbari Kanada
Darbari Kanada, or simply Darbari, is a Hindustani raga in the Kanada family, which is thought to have originated in Carnatic music and brought into North Indian music by Miyan Tansen, the legendary 16th century composer in emperor Akbar's court...
, Miya ki Malhar, and Jog
Jog (Raga)
Jog is a Raga in Hindustani classical music belonging to Kafi thaat. It is one of the more popular ragas appearing often in films.-Structure:...
. He is also known for presenting a wide variety of Rare Raags including Gyankali, Abiri Todi, Dhanashree, Patdeepki, Purba, Bhavsakh, Devsakh, Gunji Kanada and Charju Ki Malhar.
Personal life
In 1962 he married Madhura, the daughter of the legendary film director V. ShantaramV. Shantaram
V. Shantaram is a renowned Indian filmmaker, film producer and actor. He is most known for his films like Dr...
, who he had first met in 1955 during the filming of Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje
Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje
Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje is a 1955 Indian film directed by V. Shantaram. It stars Shantaram's wife Sandhya and dancer Gopi Krishna. One of the earlier Technicolor films made in India, the film won the 1956 Filmfare Best Movie Award.-Cast:...
. After marriage the couple lived in Kolkata for some time. They have a son, Shaarangdev Pandit, and a daughter, Durga Jasraj
Durga Jasraj
Durga Jasraj is an Indian television presenter and actress. She co-founded "Art and Artistes' Pvt. Ltd. ", an entertainment and event management company along with Vikram Shankar in 1999, which promotes classical music and subsequently co-founded Indian Music Academy in 2006.-Early life:Durga...
, a television anchor and presenter. Madhura has directed documentaries and children’s plays, apart from directing and producing acclaimed ballets, Geet Govind, Kaan Kahaani and Surdas and the TV series, Faster Phene. She made a film, Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasraj in 2009 and in 2010, directed her first Marathi film, Aai Tuzha Aashirwad, in which her husband and Lata Mangeshkar have sung in Marathi.
Music composers Jatin-Lalit are his nephews and Sulakshana Pandit
Sulakshana Pandit
Sulakshana Pratap Narain Pandit is a Filmfare Award winning Playback Singer & Actor.Her brothers are the composing duo Jatin Lalit and her younger sister is Vijeta Pandit who achieved fame with her debut movie Love Story. Her uncle is the accomplished classical vocalist Pandit...
is his niece.
Awards
- Padma VibhushanPadma VibhushanThe Padma Vibhushan is the second highest civilian award in the Republic of India. It consists of a medal and a citation and is awarded by the President of India. It was established on 2 January 1954. It ranks behind the Bharat Ratna and comes before the Padma Bhushan...
, (art-classical music-vocal) in 2000 - Sangeet Natak Akademi AwardSangeet Natak Akademi AwardSangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists. The award consists since 2003 of Rs. 50,000, a citation, an angavastram , and a tamrapatra...
in 1987 - Sangeet Kala Ratna
- Master Dinanath Mangeshkar Award
- Lata Mangeshkar Puraskar
- Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar
- Surer Guru
- Swathi Sangeetha PuraskaramSwathi Sangeetha PuraskaramSwathi Sangeetha Puraskaram is the highest honour for musicians instituted by the Kerala State Government. It's named after Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma, the Maharaja of the state of Travancore , in India.The award carries a cash prize of rupees one lakh, citation and a medal-Complete List of...
in 2008 - Sangeet Natak Akademi FellowshipSangeet Natak Akademi FellowshipThe Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, also, Sangeet Natak Akademi Ratna Sadasya is an honour for the performing arts in India...
(2010) - Marwar Sangeet Ratna Award
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 DesaiVasant DesaiVasant Desai was a Indian film music composer, most remembered for his score in V. Shantaram film, like Do Aankhen Barah Haath , Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje , Vijay Bhatt's Goonj Uthi Shehnai and Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Guddi .-Early life:He born in 1912 into a wealthy family in Sonwad village,...
) - Birbal My Brother (1973, music by Shyam Prabhakar)
- 1920 (2008, music by Adnan SamiAdnan SamiAdnan Sami is a British-born Pakistani-Indian- Canadian singer, musician, pianist, actor and composer of Pakistani origin. He currently holds Canadian citizenship and works and lives in Mumbai, India...
)