I was busy in my work when suddenly the news flashed:'Pt Jasraj passed away in the US.' The suddenness of this news left me speechless. All those memories - my eagerness to meet him, to interview him, waiting impatiently to meet him and of course my first encounter with him during my college days. Over the years, his inimitable gayaki completely captivated me. Much later in life as a broadcaster, I got an opportunity to interview him. And as a tribute I reproduce excerpts from that priceless interview:
Excerpts from the interview included in my book – Beyond Music – Maestros in Conversation (Publisher: Niyogi Books)
Pandit Jasraj—
(28 January 1930 – 17 August 2020)
I got a chance to interview Pandit Jasraj at his friend, Justice Mukul Mudgal’s residence in New Delhi, where he had stopped for a day on his way home from a concert in Rajasthan. When I reached there, Pandit Jasraj was sleeping after a tiring journey and tour. I had nearly lost hope after forty-five minutes of wait, thinking that perhaps, ‘it’s a wrong day.’ But his disciple and nephew, Rattan Mohan Sharma gave me company and discouraged any thoughts about postponing the interview, ‘It’s 5 pm and he will soon join us. See, his guests have also started coming.’ I became apprehensive. I didn’t want to talk to him amidst his followers. Just as I was debating whether to stay back or return, Pandit Jasraj emerged in an orange kurta and dhoti, ushering in an aura of spirituality, so characteristic of his gayaki as well. Everybody got up to greet the maestro and sat around him.
He appeared to be touched by their concern and listened to them with untiring patience. Coaxed by his nephew, I ultimately decided to interview him in the midst of his admirers. At ease, often asking for his special tea, he answered while conversing with his ‘guests,’ enquiring about their well-being and discussing topics related to God, miracles and classical music.
Pandit Jasraj was born in Hissar, Haryana to Pandit Motiram, a
classical music exponent. Jasrajji was
only four when his father passed away.
He received training from his elder brother, Pandit Maniram, and later
from Maharaja Jaiwant Singhji Waghela. Beginning his musical journey as a tabla
accompanist to his brother, Pandit Jasraj soon got disappointed with the way
tabla maestros were treated. He decided
to concentrate on vocal music only.
Blessed with a sonorous and meditative voice, smoothly mapping three and
a half octaves, Pandit Jasraj gave his first public concert way back in 1952 before King Tribhuvan Vikram
of Nepal.
(2 April 2005)
Interviewer:
Pandit ji, you always start your bandishes with a shloka, and in all your concerts the atmosphere becomes spiritually charged. How does this happen?
Jasraj:
That's an interesting question. I don't know how it happens, why it happens. But I always start with a prayer to Lord Vishnu— 'Mangalam bhagwan Vishnu ...' This has been coming down to us through the ages and it's the power of this mantra ...
Interviewer:
So you believe it is this mantra that changes the whole atmosphere; isn't it the power of your gayaki as well?
Jasraj :
The mantra makes my gayaki
what it is. My spiritual guru was Maharana Jaiwant Singh ji, a true devotee and
he was the one who gave me the vision for this path. The interesting fact is
that he was a great musician himself and he was from the same gharana that I belong to—Mewati gharana.
Interviewer:
Your rendition of the bhajan 'Om Namo bhagwate' has become so popular. What was the creative process behind it?
Jasraj:
This bhajan has been written by Shankaracharya ji. An acquaintance, a lady called Prerna Behen Thakur, heard the song and was deeply inspired by it. A true devotee of Lord Krishna, she would get tears in her eyes at the mere mention of his name. One day she came to me and I was so deeply moved by her sincere devotion, bhakti, and wondrous love for Krishna that even before she could mention the purpose of her visit I promised her that I was with her in whatever it was she wanted me to do. She wanted to get Krishna anurag, Shiva anurag, all of those recorded. Now, I firmly believe that God is behind everything that happens in life, all the people we meet ... even the fact that you are here today and we have met is an indicator of something that is about to happen, there is some cosmic reason behind it. So it was because of her that I sang 'Om Namo Bhagwate' and had no clue it would become so popular! Today when I listen to it, I am moved.
Interviewer:
What is the concept behind Jasrangi Jugalbandi? Why did you think of doing this different kind of Jugalbandi with a male and female vocalist?
Jasraj:
Many a times when I heard male and female vocalists singing together, I always felt there was something lacking. There is a pair for everything in nature—like husband-wife, Shiv-Shakti, Purush-Prakriti, and these two energies together fulfil one goal, achieve completeness. But when male and female vocalists sing together, one of them always suffers. Why? I asked God that if music is so special then why has one to compromise while singing with the other. Sometimes the female vocalist says she can't sing at a high scale so the male vocalist has to sing from kharaj and because of all this they are not able to do justice to their own music. So the answer I got was that the solution to this already exists in the form of 'murchhana,' In classical music there is murchhana-bheda–'sapt suran teen gram ikkees murchhana ...' So the solution already existed and I just tried to give some more thought, direction and depth to the concept.
Interviewer:
But the vocalists sing different ragas in this kind of jugalbandi. What is the reason behind it?
Jasraj:
Exactly! If you take the shadja note as shadja and sing, it would be one raga. Now if you sing the same combination of notes from pancham swar that would be a different raga! So that is why the vocalists would be singing the same note combination, but at different scales and so it would be two different ragas.
Interviewer:
What is your favourite raga?
Jasraj:
Well, it depends on the state of mind at that time. Many a times I had tuned my swarmandal before the concert, thinking I would present a certain raga. But when I am on stage I keep the swarmandal aside and start with some other raga.
Interviewer:
Today people often say that the concept of gharana is obsolete. What are your views on this?
Jasraj:
One thing I want to say is that people who don't give much importance to gharana are missing out on something crucial. Each gharana has some specialty, something unique, and that is why it became a ghar, a gharana. For instance, a Commerce college is distinct from an Arts college and they are both different from a Science college. One doesn't question that, but when it comes to gharanas in music, why so much scepticism? Try to understand that each gharana is unique. For example, in Agra gharana gayaki they used to start with madhya laya and alaapchari, bol-baant was characteristic to Agra gharana, while in Kirana gharana the emphasis is on the notes, behlava; so you see each gharana has something special and unique.
Interviewer:
So what is the specialty of Mewati gharana?
Jasraj:
In Mewati Gharana, we believe in loving each swar. We try to ornament and render each bandish as if it were a new-born baby, we are gentle and protective about it. We think of the instruments as mother and father, and for us, music is God. Like a mother takes care of her growing child, in the same manner we approach each raga and develop it. Secondly, the bandishes of this gharana are mainly on the theme of God, devotion and bhakti.
Interviewer:
You don't usually sing thumri, dadra, chaiti and such genres in your gharana?
Jasraj:
See everything is not for every gharana. Those who sing thumri are complete musicians themselves. It requires a different thought process.
Interviewer:
You have also revived Haveli Sangeet. What was the thought behind that?
Jasraj:
I found something in Haveli Sangeet that is not there in present-day classical music. That music is complete in itself. You could call it pushti-margi sangeet or temple music ...
Interviewer:
So who was your mentor for this?
Jasraj:
Everyone we come across, everyone we meet teaches us something in some way. In a way, they are all gurus. Now I am learning something from you, so you are also my guru right now! Whoever shows the way, teaches us something, is a guru. There are so many people—kin and disciples of Shri Vallabhacharya, who are my gurus.
Interviewer:
Let's go back in time Pandit ji. How was your childhood? Tell us something about your gurus and the time when you really had to struggle.
Jasraj:
I am struggling even today. In different phases of life our struggle varies. During childhood, it was a different struggle, then when I grew up it was the struggle to reach out to people, now it is the struggle to reach God.
Interviewer:
But what was the struggle in your musical journey?
Jasraj:
All that is the journey of music only! Each musician is trying to reach God through music.
Interviewer:
Who was your first guru?
Jasraj:
I learnt music from my elder brother, Pandit Maniramji and my father, Pandit Motiramji. And there are so many people whom I met in life and learnt something from them about life. Right now also I am learning from the questions you are asking me, something will get stored in the sub-conscious mind and resurface at some important point in life, maybe in music. My spiritual guru was Maharana Jaiwant Singh ji.
Interviewer:
Do you remember anything extremely significant or special that your gurus said; something that you always abide by?
Jasraj:
My father once told my brother, ‘Beta, if someone is ill and cannot come to your concert, but wants to listen to your music, then you must go to him. Don't hesitate to spend your own money, because money doesn't really belong to anybody. Just go and sing for that person. That is sadhna.’ Here I would like to tell you a very touching incident. Once I was in Delhi and my wife called. She said she had received a phone call from a girl saying that her brother had cancer and was hospitalised at the Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai and that he wanted to meet me, to hear me sing. I immediately recalled my father's words and felt it was my duty to respect my father's wishes. So I went to meet this boy. He was only nineteen or twenty years old and very weak—he couldn't even get up when I entered the ward. I felt so sad but controlled my tears. I didn't want to cry in front of him. He was pleased and grateful that I had come and apologised for not being able to greet me properly. He said, ‘When I came to know that I am dying, I had only one wish and that was to meet you. Now I know that since you agreed to come, you will also agree to sing for me. I want to listen to Darbari from you.’ I was overwhelmed with emotion at his words. I tuned my swarmandal for Darbari, calmed myself, closed my eyes and started singing. I sang for forty minutes and when I stopped, he was sitting on his bed. He made another request, ‘Pandit ji my last wish is to listen to Niranjani Narayani—Bhairavi.’ I sang that bandish and because I was meditating on God while singing, when I opened my eyes I saw that the boy was standing on his feet. He did pranam to me and said, ‘You have fulfilled my last wish. I am not at all sad about death now. I don't have anything to give you; I just have this mishri ...’ Earlier the doctors had given up hope and had told his parents to come down from Madras because he didn't have much time left. But the very next day, the boy went back to his home in Madras and lived for another two months. It was nothing short of a miracle.
Interviewer:
That is indeed a miracle! There was another such miracle when your elder brother lost his voice and then it was restored ...
Jasraj:
Yes. Now when I think back I feel that was the day when I actually realised and felt the presence of God. I was fourteen years old at that time. I knew which idol symbolised which God, but I don't think I truly understood and believed in God. My spiritual guru consulted many doctors to get a cure for my brother. But nothing happened. Then suddenly one day he announced, ‘Pandit ji today your voice will come back. Sing for God; sing for that greater power, that's my only condition.’ My brother’s voice was in a very bad state, but suddenly his voice came back and he started singing in the most beautiful voice ever. After that he never had any problems with his voice. That day my spiritual guru made me realise that it doesn't matter by what name you call God, what matters is that one has to truly believe in him.
Interviewer:
Coming to the guru-shishya parampara, sometimes when we hear your disciples, your image is so visible in their music.
Jasraj:
See, when a child is born, we always think about whether he resembles his mother or father, or any other family members. Why? If an African son is born to British parents, will they digest it? Will they call him their child? Maybe they will doubt the mother or be puzzled. The guru-shishya relationship has to be seen in the same light. An emerging musician would definitely resemble his guru. And only when that happens can one say that he is a true shishya. If that doesn't happen it means there is some doubt in the mind of the shishya, or the guru. Music is magic, and it is very infectious. It gets stored in your sub-conscious mind and when it comes out through the throat it comes out after being trained in the respective gharana. Sometimes when you see a good dancer you will see the music in his dance. You can see the meends, gamak, the spaces between the notes, through the dance. And the tenderness of the dancer can be absorbed into the throat, into music. So, if a shishya has not absorbed the style of his guru, then the question that should be asked is what kind of shishya is he? And also what kind of a guru is he, who has not imparted that essence to his shishya?
Interviewer:
But what about the music schools that are so prevalent now?
Jasraj:
See, earlier there were ashrams where children used to live and study and develop into a complete personality. Now all these things are disappearing. Now there are colleges and in those colleges there are professors and teachers, not gurus. So, now the concept of guru is also disappearing. One needs to surrender completely to a guru.
Interviewer:
Sometimes people say that Hindustani classical music is for a class
of people. What do you think about that?
Jasraj:
No, not at all. I just don't agree with those people who are suggesting that classical music is not for the masses. If music is not for the masses then how can you call it music? But you know, this segregation regarding who should come for a classical music session or not, is not at all fair. It makes people feel, ‘Oh it's not for the masses so what will we do at this concert?’ In this way we make it elite, we isolate it. Being elite is not about clothes, it's about your thoughts. Look at the age group of people in a concert. It starts from eighteen to twenty years and those youngsters are not from any such 'elite class'. They haven't even started earning yet. No one becomes great just because they have money. Our music is for the masses. Earlier when I used to sing and someone sitting in the audience would be showing his feet to me, to the stage, I used to feel offended because to me music was like an offering I was making to God. I used to feel bad thinking that the person was being disrespectful. But now I feel that God resides in each and everyone and if someone is doing that, it's ok, it's their will, after all God is inside them too.
Interviewer:
How do you select your disciples?
Jasraj:
First I try to sense and understand my disciples. Only when I see that they are devoted to music and want it to be their means of livelihood as well, no, no … don’t get me wrong, I don't mean to say that every musician should make it his livelihood. God gives music to everyone. And music is very dear to God. God said to Narad ji, ‘I live where my devotee sings for me ...’ And that is why our ancestors have gifted this to us and we are gifting it to the next generation. Only those students of music who are serious, devoted and passionate about music become my disciples.
Interviewer:
How do you teach?
Jasraj:
When we start teaching a disciple, we show him the outlines of the gharana, like a painter first sketches, draws an outline of the figures. Then we ask the disciple to fill in the colours into that outline with his visualisation but to never step outside the boundary.
Interviewer:
What advice would you like to give to your followers?
Jasraj:
Whether you become a musician or not, always respect your parents, think of them as your God and then see how many people respect you. Love and respect your guru and your parents and you will sail through life smoothly.
