In a career spanning almost 80 years, Pandit Jasraj received numerous accolades including Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan.
Renowned Indian classical vocalist and recipient of the forth highest civilian award, Padma Shri Pandit Jasraj passed away on Monday following a cardiac arrest at his home in New Jersey, his daughter Durga Jasraj said. He was 90 years old.
In a career spanning almost 80 years, Pandit Jasraj received numerous accolades including Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan. He was one of the last amongst the generation of classical vocalists, which includes 83-year-old Kishori Amonkar from the Jaipur Atrauli gharana.
Jasraj, belonging to Mewati Gharana, was introduced to vocal music by his father. He was later trained as a tabla accompanist under his elder brother, Pandit Pratap Narayan. At the age of 14, Jasraj began training as a vocalist and his riyaz once used to last for 14 hours a day.
Adding elements of Thumri to Khayal, and giving it more flexibility to make it audience-friendly, are some of the many things that Pt. Jasraj would be remembered for.
A minor planet, between Mars and Jupiter, was named after him in September last year. minor planet 2006 VP32 (number -300128) , discovered on November 11, 2006, was named as āPanditjasrajā by International Astronomical Union (IAU). The traverses the cosmos between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
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