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Sangeet
Martand Pt. Jasraj was honoured with the Saraswati Samman recently.
Among the leading classical vocalists, he is known for his perfect
diction, clarity in sur and a command over all aspects of laya.
Screen speaks to the singer from the Mewati gharana...
 Sangeet
Martand Pandit Jasraj, among the leading exponents of classical
music in India, first took to music as a tabla-player. “I was
only seven when I started playing the tabla for my elder brother
on stage. It used to save us rupees seven, which otherwise had to
be paid to an outsider to accompany him. My tabla-playing was so
good that they forgot my education as well as induction into the
family tradition of singing till 1945, when circumstances forced
me to take the decision to quit tabla and take on singing,”
recalls Panditji.
What prompted
Pandit Jasraj to give up tabla was the fact a singer got more respect
in those times than any of the accompanying musicians. Once, on
the occasion of Janmashtami, all the musicians were told to sit
at the side of the stage because “Tablewale ki kya majal ki
raagi ke saath baithe (How can a tabla-player dare to sit with a
singer).” Another time a singer snubbed him saying, “What
do you know of raags? You are just tabla-player.” These incidents
made him aware of his secondary status in the world of music.
That’s
when the young Jasraj told his brother, “We come from the same
family so why should I also not sing?” To which his brother
answered, “You play such good tabla that we forgot about your
education of music. And in any case, unless you know tabla well,
you can’t be a good singer. You will not concentrate since
you will be counting the beats.”
Becoming nostalgic
about his tabla-playing days, Panditji asked his domestic help to
bring his tabla and played it for us. It was a rare treat indeed,
because inspite of a long gap, his rhythm and beats were not only
in sync, but also a pleasure to the ears.
Going back
to his first singing lessons Panditji says his riyaz began at Nand
Muhurat at four in the morning. He tells us that his Ishtadev, Krishna,
blessed him to be an enchanter and just as Krishna enchants with
his bansuri, so does Panditji with his voice. “When I sing,
I sing only for Him,” says Panditji, “Krishna wakes with
music and sleeps with music. In Pushtee Marg, where they worship
Baal Krishna (the child form), even after the God goes to sleep
they sing, Aashray Pad. For me, my music is my dedication to Him.
This is also the tradition of my family, where we sing for God alone.”
 Panditji
sang solo for the first time on radio on March 26, 1951. His first
solo stage performance took place a year later in 1952, in Nepal,
a country that has been witness to significant events in his life,
which is why it is dear to him. “You will be surprised,”
he says, “After my first stage performance in Nepal, the king
awarded me 5000 mohurs. I also made friends with Ramdas in Nepal,
who later was responsible for me meeting my wife Madhuraji. Also,
it was in Nepal that I heard the news of my Padmashree.”
The doyen of
Indian classical music faced poverty after his father’s death.
The period between 1934 and 1944 was bleak until his elder brother,
whom he lovingly calls Raja Bhaiya, got patronage of Maharaja Jaywant
Singhji, King of the estate of Sanand. “It was with the blessing
of the Goddess, and the guidance of our spiritual Guru Jaywant Singhji,
that we could go through the tough times. That is why I always sing
for the Saumya (gentle) form of Maa Kaali,” he tells. His classical
music entails half of Bhakti Ras (devotion) and half Shringaar Ras
(love), making it more endearing to the ears.
Without really
digressing from the path of ragaas, grammer and traditions, Panditji
has made classical music interesting and enchanting. Indian music
is an aaradhna of God’s name, but how do you educate today’s
generation to enjoy and understand the soul of classical music?
“I have been singing for the last 65 years and I have seen
the evolution. Earlier, even the best of the artiste could draw
maximum 75 to 90 listeners. Today, I get an audience of 5000 and
they listen with pin drop silence. They clap and cry with the songs.
If this is not understanding music then what is?” questions
Panditji, who has his music school not only in India, but also far
off in Vancouver, “Here, I teach students myself, while in
Vancouver I teach them once, and they record it. By the time I go
back, my students have perfected whatever I taught them in the previous
visit. Learning, and the thirst for learning is still there. Only,
with speed and technology, saadhna ke swaroop badal gaye hain.”
However, only
a handful of classical artistes can draw the crowd, especially among
the new generation. If the audience is more aware of classical music
now, then why this discrimination? “The reason is very simple,”
says Panditji, “If the musicians are only partially informed
about the art they are performing, then how can you expect the performance
to have the magic. Amongst today’s artistes, very few really
know the meaning of the lyrics they are singing. So they can’t
put that essence of understanding into their rendition. The worst
part is that today we do not use the full body of a raag. Half-bodied
raag can never have that spell to woo the listener, because it becomes
small and ineffective.”
According to
Panditji, Indian classical music has come of age, and it has knowledgeable
people and audience to enjoy it. Music comes either as legacy, or
as destiny. For Panditji, it is both, but it also needs one’s
dedication. And Panditji has given his 100 per cent to reach the
peak today. He is the icon who has taken the legacy of Indian classical
music to people’s heart, where he rules supreme.
—Neelam
Gupta
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