Legendary Vocalist Pandit Jasraj Passes Away

Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasraj passed away in New Jersey. The 90-year-old vocalist, acclaimed for his talent in the national and international music circuit, suffered a cardiac arrest. He is survived by wife, daughter and son.

The legendary vocalist also has the rare credit of winning all the three Padma awards (Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan). He was the only musician to have a minor planet named after him. He had become the first Indian musician to join the galaxy of immortal composers like Mozart, Beethoven and Tenor Luciano Pavar.

He was well-known for his thumris and created his own raag too.

Born in Haryana in 1930, Pandit Jasraj belonged to the Mewati Gharana of classical music. His elder brother was Pratap Narain Pandit, the father of famous music composer duo Jatin-Lalit, Sulakshana Pandit and Vijayta Pandit. His musical career spanned eight decades.

He taught music in several countries, including the USA, Canada and many of his students became famous musicians.

According to reports, the mortal remains of the great classical vocalist will be brought to India from US.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to pay tributes to the legend. He said the maestro’s death has left a deep void in the country’s cultural sphere.

President of India Ramnath Kovind also expressed his deep condolences to Jasraj’s family. Union ministers Amit Shah and S. Jaishankar also offered tributes to the legendary singer.

Other stalwarts from the music fraternity like Lata Mangeshkar, A.R. Rehman and Shankar Mahadevan also paid tributes to the legendary vocalist Pandit Jasraj.