August 17, 2020
EDISON, NJ (MIDDLESEX)–MidJersey.News is learning from multiple sources of the death of Pandit Jasraj who has reportedly died in New Jersey from cardiac arrest around 5:15 am.* (cause and time of death from Wikipedia)*
Pandit Jasraj was a musical legend, living in New Jersey and started the Pandit Jasraj Institute for Music Research, Artistry and Appreciation in Edison – Colonia, NJ, Brooklyn, NY, Mars, PA and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India “The unfortunate demise of Pandit Jasraj Ji leaves a deep void in the Indian cultural sphere. Not only were his renditions outstanding, he also made a mark as an exceptional mentor to several other vocalists. Condolences to his family and admirers worldwide. Om Shanti.”
Pandit Jasraj from his website:
| SANGEET MARTAND PANDIT JASRAJ Recipient of Padma Vibhushan |
| Indian Classical Music today, is one of the greatest gifts of India to the world. And a blessed few, much beyond their fame and fortune, have devoted their lives to bolster this claim far and wide. While renowned instrumentalists have done it through their chosen instruments, like the Sitar and the Sarod, Pandit Jasraj has done it through that one God-gifted instrument: His Voice. Pandit Jasraj’s achievements are beyond compare more so because vocal music is the most intimate and direct medium according to India’s musical treatise and tradition. And almost beyond belief is also the fact that he has carved out his monumental global following without depriving his many million domestic admirers. He has been passionately loyal to his soil, while his music has scaled ethereal heights all over the planet. He has single-handedly paved the way for Indian vocal classical music to resonate across the world. |
| Humble Beginnings Born in a family of outstanding musicians over four generations, Pandit Jasraj was initiated into music by his revered father, Pandit Motiram, until the age of three, when his father passed away. Thereafter he underwent intensive tutelage under his elder brother and Guru, Pandit Maniram. Later, along his turbulent path of hard-earned maturity, he was guided by his spiritual Guru Maharaja Jaiwant Singh. |
| Unique Musical Attributes Blessed with a soulful and sonorous voice, which traverses masterfully over all four and a half octaves, Jasraj’s vocalizing is characterized by a harmonious blend of the classic and opulent elements projecting traditional music as an intense spiritual expression, at once chaste and yet densely coloured. This gives his music a unique and sublime emotional quality, reaching out to the very soul of the listener. Perfect diction, clarity in sur (musical notes), and gayaki (creative musical progression), command in all aspects of laya and rhythm, depth of composition and an unmistakable interplay between notes and words to evoke the desired mood and emotion, are the hallmark of Panditji’s music. This sensitivity, added to the pure classical approach, has given his singing a lyrical quality, the quintessential of the Mewati tradition of singing. |
| Pandit Jasraj the Guru….Mentor As a mentor and guru, Pandit Jasraj has already presented to the world an impressive number of illustrious disciples whom he has nurtured and trained in accordance with India’s rich tradition of the Guru-Shisya Parampara, the ideal teacher-student relationship. Today, his frontrunner disciples too are zealously carrying the flag of Indian music to every corner of the world. |
Pandit Jasraj from Facebook page 
Pandit Jasraj from his website
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