As the city gears up for the 44th Pandit Motiram Maniram festival, we have disciples of Pandit Jasraj speak about their master in music and his life. Says classical vocalist, Rattan Mohan Sharma, “For me, the first relationship with Panditji is that of Mama-Bhanja (Uncle-Nephew). But somewhere down the line, as I started understanding music and his philosophy towards the art, the family relationship started becoming thinner, and I could find myself being more a student than his nephew. As a child, I would take Panditji’s permission to go for a nap, when he would be singing. Today, every moment of his singing is precious. Panditji always took us on stage along with him for his performances. Many a times, I would not even be singing. Now, I understand that this was a beautiful way to remove stage fear from my life. His stature in music and creation of an aura within a raga is so powerful; I would always get a feeling that there is nothing beyond a particular raga. One would get lost in the beauty of the vocal rendition. Looking back, I understand why he would get angry on rare occasions. It was only to ensure that I don’t get pampered as a relative, and muster up the discipline to achieve whatever he envisioned for me in my music career. It’s been more than 30 years that I have been coming to Hyderabad every year and this visit is an annual musical pilgrimage.”
Singer Ankita Joshi was so fascinated by the music of Pandit Jasraj, that she found her way into the green room at Sawai Gandharva music festival, Pune in 1998, when she was about ten years old. She introduced herself and sang Raga Bihag with a request to become Panditji’s disciple.
Says Ankita, “Today, I am a part of the large family and even Gurumaa Madhura Jasraj showers so much love and affection on me. Panditji has always encouraged me to pursue my passion. He is a great human being and very helpful. He has always nurtured the thought process of ‘giving’ and I feel responsible to share my music with the younger generation. In his presence, we disciples constantly learn. He inspires us by moving with times. He is very tech savvy with the latest phones and apps at his command. Panditji is always full of energy and binds his students within a large musical family. The annual visit to Hyderabad is as special to me as it is to Panditji.”
— The writer is a musician, creator of ‘Jaywant Guitar’ and a freelance photographer
