Pandit Jasraj, the unparalleled classical vocalist who died in the US on Monday at the age of 90, leaves behind a formidable legacy and a deep imprint on the world of music. His musical repertoire is unmatched, he has won coveted awards, has a planet named after him, was honoured with the title of ‘Rasraj’ and has more than 300 compositions to his credit.

The master vocalist, however, never let these achievements come in the way of his music. “I am critical of myself. I never think I have done something great. I don’t think too much about myself or my achievements. Whatever I have received is as per God’s will. I am grateful to God for that,” he said in an interview with PTI.

Pandit Jasraj of the Mewati gharana was born in a family of outstanding musicians. His father Pandit Motiram started training him from a very young age but he passed away when Pandit Jasraj was only three-years-old. He was later trained as a tabla accompanist by his elder brother, Pandit Pratap Narayan.

Pandit Jasraj, born on January 28, 1930 in Haryana’s Hisar, mastered traditional performances of khayals, the genre Mewati gharana is known for. He spent his youth in Hyderabad, and travelled often to Gujarat to study music. He later moved to Kolkata.

Decorated with several awards, Pandit Jasraj has a presence in the celestial world too. A minor planet, between Mars and Jupiter, has been named after this doyen of Indian classical vocal music. “International Astronomical Union (IAU) has named minor planet 2006 VP32 (number -300128) discovered on November 11, 2006 , as ‘Panditjasraj’, reads a 2019 PTI report.

As a mentor and guru, Pandit Jasraj gave back to the world of music. He nurtured and trained some illustrious disciples in accordance with India’s rich tradition of the Guru-Shisya Parampara. His noted disciples are Tabla player Samir Chaterjee and Indian classical vocalist Pandita Tripti Mukherjee

He received accolades and appreciation from across continents. Among the honours are three Padma Awards — Padma Vibhushan in 2000, Padma Bhushan in 1990, Padma Shree in 1975 and Sangeet Natak Academy Award.

Pandit Jasraj also has the unique distinction of being endowed with a title by former Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He honoured him with the title as ‘Rasraj’ in February 2002 when he sang at Panchavati, the residence of the then Prime Minister.

A scholarship was instituted by the University of Toronto in the name of Pandit Jasraj for young deserving students of Indian music . Also a concert hall of the Vedic Heritage in New York is named as the ‘Pandit Jasraj Auditorium’.

Pandit Jasraj was an untiring musician, who never compromised on hard work and the result is that he has created more than 300 bandishes (compositions) and thereby remembered as Sangeet Martand, the blazing sun of music.