Pandit Jasraj at a performance

One would expect a Hindustani classical singer who is known to have one of the most melodious voices in the world to have an equally mellifluous speaking voice, one that would charm and enthral the listener even in the sound of his speech. But it was an incongruous cackle with which Pandit Jasraj greeted this correspondent, suggesting that he had had yet another day of interminable interviews with the media.
Pandit Jasraj is known to be the foremost exponent of the Mewati gharana, a style of classical singing that lays emphasis on diction and clarity of the sur and extreme tunefulness. But Pandit Jasraj comes across as the last person who would claim to be the doyen of North Indian vocals.
Indeed, he says, “It’s all with the blessings of God. I am a mere instrument, everything I do or say is because He has blessed me. I love him, and I know that he loves me.”
Singing wasn’t quite what Pandit Jasraj had started out with, originally learning the tabla under the tutelage of Pandit Pratapnarayan. He says, “In those days, in the 1940s, I had even managed to earn `150 playing the tabla.” But singing was what captivated him, he says. At six, he heard the voice of Begum Akhtar singing a ghazal, and was spellbound; later, even after some time learning the tabla, he says that he knew singing was what he was truly meant for.
Pandit Jasraj is not just a vocalist, but is also known for Jasrangi, a special form of jugalbandi, or a duet between performers. He says, “It came to me suddenly one night. I would always wonder about the disparity between male and female performers, and why there were so few jugalandis featuring a male and female singer. After all, everything in this world is a union of two things: Shiv-sakti, dharti-aakash; even the rath here is has two wheels. The answer came to me one night very suddenly, in a dream, from Lord Krishna.” Even then, this jugalbandi had no name. After the first performance of this duet in 1990 between Sanjeev Abhyankar and Shweta Jay, a hugely appreciative audience demanded to know what the form of singing was called. “I was at a complete loss of words,” Pandit Jasraj admits. “It was then that a friend, Meena Phalnikar came forward and told everyone that it was called Jasrangi. Since then, it has become known as Jasrangi,” he smiles.
Unlike many other artistes, who lament that the world of classical music and its audience has shrunk considerably as compared to a few decades ago, Pandit Jasraj feels that there is no difference. He speaks of a time when, in 1957, he had performed with his older brother Pandit Maniram for an incredible six hours, simply because an enthralled and involved audience of over several thousands kept demanding for more. Then, last year, “I was performing in Lucknow. It was terribly cold, and the concert was out in the open. But the audience was as enthusiastic as ever. They sat there, in the biting cold, many thousands of them, and listened to me perform for them,” he says, and adds, “The audience today is as involved as ever, and they know and listen to classical music. It would be wrong to say that interest is diminishing.”
In fact, Pandit Jasraj admits, he was quite astonished at the interest of his audience. He speaks of a time when he had performed in London. After the performance, an Englishman came up to him with a strange question. “He asked me, ‘Panditji, if you don’t sing of Krishna, is there anything left to sing about at all?’ I was thrown at this man’s interest. I told him that even when one is singing of Krishna, it is only about 70 per cent. The remaining 30 per cent is just about the music, and how it takes you yourself to God,” Pandit Jasraj says. Such interest from an Englishman implies that no matter whether the audience is Indian or not, the artiste says, people are still interested and understand the value of classical music.
For the fast-paced world of professionals today, Pandit Jasraj has a simple piece of advice.
He says, “All you have to do, is listen.” According to him, it doesn’t matter if one is not actually singing or practising. “Even if someone who has learnt to sing, or play an instrument, but cannot find the time to practise, his soul will still find peace if he simply sits and listens to the music. That is most important.”
It is because of this belief that Pandit Jasraj is known to have, that an NGO Isha Foundation approached him a few years ago. The foundation is organising a week-long celebration on the occasion of Mahashivratri in Coimbatore between February 24 and March 3. The first seven days will be for a programme called Yaksha, an endeavour of the foundation to preserve and promote the uniqueness of India’s performing arts and culture. The event will culminate on Mahashivratri, on March 3, with performances by Pandit Jasraj and Pandit Ronu Majumdar on the flute.
“The more people listen to music, the more peaceful they will be. I am glad that I can help too,” he says.