Jasraj facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pandit Jasraj
Pandit Jasraj Performing at Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, Bhopal in Poonam-35 Program (2015)
Born	(1930-01-28)28 January 1930 Hisar, Punjab, British India (now Fatehabad, Haryana, India)
Died	17 August 2020(2020-08-17) (aged 90) New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation	Singer, music teacher, tabla player
Spouse(s)	Madhura Shantaram ​ (m. 1962)​
Children	Shaarang Dev Pandit Durga Jasraj
Relatives	Pandit Maniram (brother) Vasant Kumar Pandit (Cousin)
Awards	See awards and honours
Musical career
Genres	Hindustani classical music
Instruments	singing, tabla
Years active	1945–2020

Pandit Jasraj (born January 28, 1930 – died August 17, 2020) was a famous Indian singer of Hindustani classical music. He was part of the Mewati gharana, which is a special style or school of music.

His amazing music career lasted for 75 years. He became very famous both in India and around the world. Pandit Jasraj won many important awards for his talent. He performed many classical and devotional songs. He also made albums and sang for movies. He even created new music styles like Haveli Sangeeth. He helped make the Mewati Gharana style of music very popular. Pandit Jasraj also taught music to many students in India, Europe, Canada, and the United States.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Jasraj was born on January 28, 1930. He grew up in a village called Pili Mandori. This village is in what is now Haryana, India. His family was full of classical singers. His father, Pandit Motiram, was also a classical singer.

Sadly, Jasraj's father died when he was only four years old. His oldest brother, Pandit Maniram, then taught him music. Jasraj's other older brother, Pandit Pratap Narayan, was also a great musician. He taught Jasraj to play the tabla (an Indian drum) when he was seven. But by age 14, Jasraj decided he only wanted to sing.

He spent his teenage years in Hyderabad. He also traveled to Sanand in Gujarat to learn more music. He learned from musicians of the Mewati gharana style. In 1946, Jasraj moved to Calcutta. There, he began singing classical music on the radio.

Family Life

Jasraj with his wife Madhura on stage in Jaipur (2011).

In 1962, Jasraj married Madhura Shantaram. She was the daughter of a famous film director, V. Shantaram. They first met in 1960 in Bombay. They lived in Calcutta at first. Then they moved to Bombay in 1963.

They had two children, a son named Shaarang Dev Pandit and a daughter named Durga Jasraj. They also had three grandchildren. Madhura made a film about her husband in 2009. She also directed a Marathi film in 2010. Both her husband and Lata Mangeshkar sang in that movie.

His Amazing Music Career

Jasraj at a concert in Bhopal in 2015.

How He Trained

Jasraj first learned singing from his father. Later, he trained to play the tabla with his older brother, Pandit Pratap Narayan. He often played the tabla for his brother's singing performances. He said that the singer Begum Akhtar inspired him to become a classical musician.

Jasraj started training as a singer when he was 14. He practiced singing for about 14 hours every day! In 1952, when he was 22, he gave his first big concert. This was in the court of King Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah in Kathmandu, Nepal. Before becoming a stage performer, he sang on the radio for several years.

He learned classical singing from Pandit Maniram. He also learned from Jaiwant Singh Waghela and Gulam Qadir Khan. They were all from the Mewati gharana style. He also trained with Swami Vallabhdas Damulji.

His Unique Style

Jasraj performing at a concert in Bhubaneswar.

Classical Music

Pandit Jasraj was known for his Mewati gharana style. This style is famous for traditional khyal performances. But Jasraj sang khayals with his own special touch. He added parts from lighter music styles, like the thumri. At first, some people criticized him for mixing styles. But now, mixing elements from different gharanas (music schools) is more common.

Jasraj even created a new type of jugalbandi (a duet). He called it Jasrangi. In this style, a male and female singer sing different ragas (melodies) at the same time. He was also famous for singing rare ragas like Abiri Todi.

Semi-Classical and Popular Music

Besides classical music, Jasraj also made other music styles popular. One was Haveli Sangeet. This is a semi-classical style performed in temples. He also sang classical songs for movie soundtracks. For example, he sang 'Vandana Karo' for the film Ladki Sahyadri Ki (1966). He also sang a duet with Bhimsen Joshi for the film Birbal My Brother (1975). He even sang a song called 'Vaada Tumse Hai Vaada' for a horror film, 1920 (2008).

Every year, Jasraj organized a music festival. It was called the Pandit Motiram Pandit Maniram Sangeet Samaroh. He started it in 1972 to honor his father.

Pandit Jasraj performing in New Delhi.

On January 28, 2017, a special concert was held. It celebrated Jasraj's 87th birthday. It also marked 80 years of his dedication to music. The concert was called My Journey, an Intimate Evening with Pandit Jasraj. It took place in New Delhi. He received a huge cheer from the audience.

Teaching Music

Pandit Jasraj taught many students who became famous classical musicians. Some of his students include Sanjeev Abhyankar, Kala Ramnath, and Tripti Mukherjee.

He also started schools for Indian classical music. These schools are in cities like Atlanta, Tampa, Vancouver, Toronto, New York, New Jersey, and Mumbai. Jasraj would spend half of each year in the United States and Canada. He would teach there or go on tours. Even at 90 years old, he taught some of his international students using Skype.

His Passing

Pandit Jasraj was in the US when the COVID-19 lockdown began. He passed away at his home in New Jersey on August 17, 2020. He was 90 years old. His body was brought back to Mumbai, India. He was cremated with special honors and a 21-gun salute.

The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, said that his death "leaves a deep void in the Indian cultural sphere." He also said that Jasraj was an "exceptional mentor" to many other singers.

Awards and Honours

Music He Recorded

Songs in Movies

• "Vandana Karo" in Ladki Sahyadri Ki (1966)
• A duet with Bhimsen Joshi in Birbal My Brother (1973)
• "Neend Na Aaye" in Ek Hasina Thi (2004)
• "Vaada Tumse Hai Vaada" in 1920 (2008)
• A song in Life of Pi (2012)

See also

In Spanish: Jasraj para niños