NEW DELHI, Dec 27: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said classical singer Pandit Jasraj took Indian classical music and ‘Bhakti Pad’ to greater heights and that is why people across the globe loved him so much.
Releasing a commemorative postal stamp to mark 50 years of Pandit Jasraj’s music festival — “Pandit Motiram, Pandit Maniram Sangeet Samaroha” — here, Shah also said Pandit Jasraj has immortalised Indian classical, ‘Pushtimargiya’ music and ‘Bhakti Pad’ of Vaishnav tradition for over eight decades for the music lovers of the whole world.
The home minister said Pandit Jasraj would sing bhajan with so much devotion that the image of Lord Krishna would come alive before the audiences.
He took Indian classical music and ‘Bhakti Pad’ to greater heights and that is why people across the globe love him so much, Shah said.
He said India can never forget his contribution to the strengthening of Indian classical and ‘Bhakti’ music.
He said the government of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to take his legacy forward by releasing a postal stamp in his memory.
This honour by the government of India will revive memories of Pandit Jasraj in hearts of his fans, he said.
This music festival was started by Pandit Jasraj in 1972 to musically express love to the only memory he had of his father, Sangeet Ratna Pandit Motiram, who passed away when Pandit Jasraj was only four years old and his elder brother and later his guru, Sangeet Mahamopadhyay Pandit Maniram.
Besides being one of the greatest Indian classical vocalists, Pandit Jasraj made an unprecedented contribution in the field of culture and music to India by carefully introducing young musicians to audiences of Hyderabad, who have now grown to become legends in their own right.
During his lifetime, for 47 years, without a single break, Pandit Jasraj hosted this annual music festival.
It is the oldest festival of Hyderabad and this legacy is carried forward by Pandit Jasraj Cultural Foundation.
For this unique contribution, he was called “Son of Hyderabad”, Shah said.
On the occasion of release of the postal stamp, Pandit Jasraj’s daughter Durga Jasraj and son of Pandit Maniram and grandson of Pandit Motiram, Pandit Dinesh, were present along with several dignitaries.
Pandit Jasraj was born in 1930 and died in 2020. (PTI)
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