Rekha: Pandit Jasrajji's voice was divine and mystical

Rekha Bhardwaj

He has influenced me ever since I was a child. When I would go for [cultural events] in Delhi, I would browse through their brochures in advance to see if Pandit Jasrajji was performing. You didn't need to understand classical music to enjoy his performance because it flowed in such a way that people would forget everything else. His voice was divine and mystical. Apart from the way he sang, his persona was [admirable]. He had a front-lock that would rest on his face, and had a certain aura.

His contribution to classical music and bhajans has been tremendous. It is his devotion to his craft that saw him through so many decades. In his teenage years, he left the tabla, and took to singing. He had faith in and a deep connection with his craft. Even now, he was in the US to teach [music].

It has been a while since I met him. We keep thinking that we will pay a visit to someone, and then we lose the opportunity. Now, there's nobody to look up to. If we needed guidance, we could pick up the phone [and seek it from him]. The artistes of his generation have undergone a different level of [training]. We practise in air-conditioned rooms; one can only imagine what they had gone through to reach where they are.

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