BySiddhi Jain

August 17, 2020 (IANSlife) Legendary musician Pandit Jasraj passed away at the age of 90 in New Jersey, United States on Monday.

The doyen who has a planet -- 'Panditjasraj' placed between Mars and Jupiter -- named after him for his artistic contributions, was a recipient of the highest civilian honours like Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. His death was condoled by dignitaries such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind, amongst other personalities.

In an interview with IANS earlier this year, he had said that: "I don't feel that my relationship with music is of only this lifetime. The student in me has always been a constant and active part of my musical journey and has always kept me hungry to learn. I feel fortunate to belong to a generation and witness very exciting times in Classical Music. Right from the pre Independence era, where Maharajas were the biggest patrons of Classical Music and being a Court Musician was a privilege, to the 1950s and 1960s when All India Radio played a pivotal role in shaping one's career graph, to the importance of Recording labels who carefully curated Talent, followed by travelling worldwide to perform for varied audiences who found our Classical Music soulful and attractive, the rise of mass media in India with the growth of Television, and now modern platforms of social media and digital which have brought music lovers much closer to their favourite musicians." 

The veteran had stated, "This is a wide gamut of opportunity for a Musician and I feel fortunate to have been part of this evolution." 

The Prime Minister tweeted, “The unfortunate demise of Pandit Jasraj Ji leaves a deep void in the Indian cultural sphere. Not only were his renditions outstanding, he also made a mark as an exceptional mentor to several other vocalists. Condolences to his family and admirers worldwide. Om Shanti."

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Siddhi Jain can be contacted at siddhi.j@ians.in