Pandit Jasraj (1930-2020)

Jasraj ji was born on 28 January 1930 at Village Pili Mandori in Hisar. Jasraj spent his youth in Hyderabad, and travelled often to Sanand in Gujarat to study music with musicians of the Mewati gharana.At the age of 16, he started his training as a vocalist, and at the age of 22, he performed his first live concert.

Pandit Jasraj is blessed with a rich, soulful and sonorous voice.The highlight of Pandit Jasraj's vocalizing is his perfect diction, clarity in sur and extreme tunefulness. Pandit Jasraj's greatest contribution to Indian music is his conception of a unique and novel jugalbandhi based on the ancient system of murchanas, between a male and a female vocalist, each singing in their respective scales and different ragas at the same time.

In 1960, Jasraj met Madhura Shantaram, the daughter of film director V. Shantaram, in Bombay and two years later in 1962, they both married. The couple had a son Shaarang Dev Pandit, and a daughter Durga Jasraj.

He often used to begin gently on the stage, plunging progressively and bursting into elation. The euphoria his performances created were truly spectacular and blissful. Jasraj tutored several students who have gone on to perform as classical musicians, including Saptarshi Chakraborty, Sanjeev Abhyankar, violinist Kala Ramnath, Sandeep Ranade, shehnai player Lokesh Anand, Tripti Mukherjee, Suman Ghosh, flautist Shashank Subramanyam, Anuradha Paudwal, Sadhana Sargam, and Ramesh Narayan.

He was also the founder of schools for Indian classical music in Atlanta, Tampa, Vancouver, Toronto, New York, New Jersey, Pittsburgh, Mumbai, and Kerala. Jasraj would spend six months of each year in the United States and Canada at either his home in New Jersey, teaching, or touring.

Pandit Jasraj ji got various Awards and Recognitions. In 1975, he received Padma Shri, fourth highest civilian award in India. In 1987, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, highest Indian recognition to the practising artists.  In 1990, he received Padma Bhushan, third-highest civilian award in India.

In 2000, he was conferred Padma Vibhushan, second highest civilian award in India.

 In 2008, he received Swathi Sangeetha Puraskaram, the highest honour for musicians given by Kerala State Government.  In 2010, he was awarded Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, officially known as Sangeet Natak Akademi Ratna Sadasya, is an Indian honour for the performing arts presented by Sangeet Natak Akademi. It is "the most prestigious and rare honour" conferred by the Akademi and is restricted to 40 individuals at any given time

 In 2013, he was awarded Bharat Ratna Bhimsen Joshi Classical Music Life Achievement Award.  In 2014, he received Sumitra Charat Ram Award for Lifetime Achievement.  In 2014, he received the Marwar Sangeet Ratna Award. The Sangeet Ratna Award is given by Government of Uttar Pradesh in the memory of Ustad Bismillah Khan.  In the year 2016, he was awarded Gangubai Hangal Lifetime Achievement Award instituted by Gangubai Hangal Sangeet Mahotsav Samiti.

In 2006, Asteroid was discovered by astronomers with the Mount Lemmon Survey and was named in his honour- Panditjasraj.

He died at his home in New Jersey on 17 August 2020 due to cardiac arrest.