He’s been called arrogant, whimsical and a foul-mouthed maverick who wouldn’t hesitate to abruptly suspend a recital, but, on a good day, Pandit Jasraj has the means to weave his magic and hold an audience mesmerised for hours, like no musician can. Little wonder, the maestro is seen less and heard more. At 78, his voice is razor sharp, having lost none of its vigour that had bracketed him, more than half a century ago, with all-time greats like Begum Akhtar, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Gangubai Hangal and Chintamani Vyas.

Born in Hissar on October 20, 1930, Jasraj lost his father, Pandit Motiram at the age of four. His elder brothers, Pandit Maniram and Pandit Pratap Narayan, both accomplished vocalists, brought him up, though initially as a tabla player. In time, Jasraj got to accompany sitar wizard Ravi Shankar, vocalist Pandit DV Paluskar and flautist Pannalal Ghosh on the tabla. Later, in 1945, a single incident changed the course of life of this 15-year-old.

“Kumar Gandharva came to Lahore to sing at the Saraswati Sangeet College,” recalls Jasraj. “At that time he was barely 23 years old, but had already made a name for himself on radio. I had to accompany him on the tabla. Soon after the recital, a debate broke out among the critics on the correctness of the Raag Bhimpalasi rendered by the singer. When I took sides with Kumar Gandharva, the critics dismissed my opinion since I was a mere tabla player. That day I decided to be a vocalist.”

Within two days of this incident, Jasraj was to encounter another shock. His brother, Pandit Maniram was to sing at a function and Jasraj, who was to accompany his brother on the tabla, was amazed to see the arrangements — “my brother on the stage and me, on floor level”. Jasraj told his brother that he felt insulted and refused to perform. The organisers tried to persuade him and the stage was reset, but Jasraj refused to budge. Eventually, the programme was cancelled.

In Jasraj’s words, “Early next morning, at four, my brother woke me up and said, we’d start riyaz (singing sessions) from that day. I felt embarrassed and apologised to my brother, that I had hurt him. But he was insistent. So, from that day, I left the tabla and took to singing.”

The practice sessions lasted for four years, before Jasraj was enlisted as a radio artiste – a rare honour in those days. But the big break came in 1954 when Jasraj staged his first public performance in Kathmandu at the invitation of the Nepal king, Tribhuvan Vikram. In India, his debut on stage as a solo vocalist came two years later, at the Swami Haridas Musical Conference at Vrindavan. He was also soon singing duets with his brother, Pandit Maniram, and, at one stage, they were accorded the distinction of ‘court singers’ by the Maharaja of Sannand (a former princely state), Jaswant Singh.

In 1959, another memorable incident took place when in Ahmedabad, during the All India Music Conference, all recitals for the night were cancelled when Jasraj took the stage. The audience did not let him go. In the 1960s, he moved to Mumbai and since then, his music classes have been at the centre of his activities. In 1962, he married Madhura, daughter of filmmaker V Shantaram. His son Sarang Dev, a well known composer, was trained by him and occasionally accompanies him on tours.

Nowadays, Jasraj is a spiritual musician, although occasionally he obliges Bollywood by composing cinema music. He is quite a recluse, never really inclined to perform in public unless it is for a charitable cause. Of late, he has taken to singing devotionals and as always, his cassettes and CDs have been topping the music charts across the country. — Maharaja Features

Gopal Chotrani