At an age when people think of taking a break from rigorous life, Pundit Jasraj continues his journey with music. His voice remains as deep and reverberating as before, creating the same magic and aura. The legendary vocalist, who turned 86 this year, appears full of life. “What I am today is all by the grace God,” says Pundit Jasraj. Only a great artiste like him can hold up a tradition for so long without a pause, amidst waning public support. You need to know a lot about his background, if you want to realise the enormity of the accomplishments of the maestro. The unparalleled living legend, gifted with a rich and poignant voice, was in the Capital for the Shriram Shankarlal Music Festival organised by the Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra. Needless to say he had the audience in thrall with his pitch play and verve. And with his humility. A humility that saw him nurture his legacy-holders by giving them stage time.
Sangeet Martand Pundit Jasraj looks completely satisfied with his journey as long as he says “jai ho” in his style. “I think I have received more than enough, so no complaints,” he says. And truly, why should heIJ He is still surrounded by people who love him to the core.
That, however, can be attributed to his uniqueness of bringing his personality to his performances. “Music is a subtle combination of personal emotion along with melody and pure grammar. lack of any one makes it incomplete and you feel something important is missing,” he points out.
He is an unrivalled classical singer from the Mewati gharana and firmly believes in following its tradition but with a few modifications and innovations. “If you belong to a particular gharana, you are expected to follow its intricacies. But changes are obvious as you grow as a musician along with the demands of time. That is what I have done with haveli sangeet and bandishes,” the maestro says.
Under the tutelage of his elder brother Pundit Maniram, he began his musical journey and it would not be wrong to say that he helped him in framing his career and prepared him for transcendent music. “He was a strict guru. He used to wake me up early morning for riyaaz. He showed me the path of spirituality and told me that classical music is the best way of reaching to the Almighty and attaining the ultimate truth,” he remembers.
He recalls his childhood memories and a pleasing smile comes on his face. He shares, “I used to bunk schools. I can never forget those days. I was or rather I am a great fan of Begum Akhtar. Her music touched me even at the age of six. I don’t know how many times I have listened to Deewana banana hai to deewana bana de. Though I was unable to understand its meaning then, it never stopped me from listening to it over and over again. I even used to stop at tea shops to listen to this ghazal.”
The octogenarian began his career as a tabla player. He interjects, “It was just for the additional income to support my family. But it never interested me much as compared to vocal music and so I moved towards it.”
He says the scenario has changed drastically from the time he started out. “Earlier there used to be baithaks and mehfils but now it has come down to big concerts. Now you cannot enjoy that kind of environment, being part of a small gathering. Today people are so busy that they have neither the time nor the patience to sit for hours to attend a performance. Take cricket, for example. Even that has come down to 20-over matches. And thus, for singers, too, it has become more hectic and tiring sometimes but if you have to survive, you need to cope with all this. Though I know young musicians are competent and competitive, they are too fast in their approach.”
He continues, “In order to promote classical music, it is most necessary to teach students from a tender age. That is why I established the Pundit Jasraj Institute of Music. We understand the need for the mode of teaching to be innovative because today, children are exposed to a lot of influences from the internet, television and social media platforms. Thus only something very interesting can push them towards classical music. We should not forget they are the future of Indian classical music. If nurtured and trained in a proper way, you will get some bright talent. And thus I always say the future of classical music is bright but we have to take the responsibility. My son Sharangdev is a music director and my daughter Durga is also a vocalist. So it’s wrong to say that the young generation is losing interest in classical music. I believe we are lagging behind in proper guidance.”
The doyen of North Indian vocal music strongly comments on fusion music and says, “Fusion is not just simply a combination of two or more forms but an intelligent and experimental confluence of diverse forms. I think once after everything settles down, and practioners have mastered modifying different art forms, real fusion will happen.”
After receiving accolades, the maestro feels helpless while remembering few depressing moments of his past. “There are few phases in life that one can’t forget. Every time I share this memory I find myself as a failure and truly wish to change the past. I couldn’t save my father being so young; though I still have his blurred memories. But more painful for me was to see my ailing mother. She was suffering from cancer and I didn’t have the money to purchase medicines. The chemist refused to help me. It was the generosity of one of the shop owners, who paid out of his own pocket, that I won’t forget ever. I couldn’t even afford a doctor for my mother as I was unable to pay the visiting fees. Only after his niece Geeta Roy (later known as Geeta Dutt) asked him about the state of classical musicians, his mindset changed and he helped us,” he shares.
But today his life is complete with his wife, children and grandchildren, “Madhura Jasraj has always been my great support. She is very talented and a loving mother. After marriage, she carried her responsibilities very well and gave all her attention to the family. I wonder how incomplete I would be if she is not in my life. I still remember when I first met her. She was just 17, and so attractive. And you look at her today. She is still so beautiful.”
What next and he says, “Just exhausted. So need to take rest, nothing more to say.”
On this note, he concludes and the great vocalist leaves the auditorium, looking physically tired but mentally refreshed with his performance. Even flautist Rakesh Chaurasia, who held the audience captive earlier on, took to the gallery to listen to a true master. like a keen student.