He is known the world over for his strong and versatile voice. RICHA SHUKLA caught up with Pt Jasraj for a chat

Tell us something about your connection with the city

Every artist has a relationship with this city which is famous for its age-old Gunijankhana and the strong tradition of music. It has a special place in my heart as it gave me recognition as a singer. I came to Jaipur in October 1964 to perform in a concert organised by Gandharv Mahavidyalaya. After the first day’s performance by Pt Bhimsen Joshi, who was highly appreciated by the audience, no other artist was allowed to perform. I was supposed to perform the last day. Fifteen minutes into my performance, people started to disrupt it.

I stopped, joined my hands together and requested the audience to allow me to perform for only 10 minutes and if they did not like it, they could just stop me. And it worked. I sang continuously for 2 hours. There was pin-drop silence.

Even after I stopped my performance, people did not clap. It was only after 10 seconds that there was a deafening applause. My performance was highly appreciated.

You started your career as a tabla player and later switched to singing?

In those days, the scenario was different. If I had to start now, I would definitely be a tabla player!

You have recently rendered a song for a film?

This is not the first time I have sung for films. I sang in 1955 for a Bengali film. Then there were others—Ek Hasina Thi, Phir Bhi, are some of the films I sang for. Recently I sang for a promotional song titled ‘Waada tumshe hai waada’ for the film, 1920.

Will the future generation imbibe the same spirit of classical singing?

Why not? There are only a few people who take the legacy forward. You see, there have never been more than 8-10 artists in any era. Our music is scientific as well as spiritual, which no other music in the world can boast of. It’s like painting—colours are not supposed to cross the boundary line of the canvas.

Richa Shukla/ DNA-Daily News & Analysis Source: 3D Syndication