Last month, Pandit Jasraj conducted online classes for his disciples for 10 days from his New Jersey home, belying his 90 years. Five weeks later he died of cardiac arrest.
The disciples, most of whom are based in India, could not pay their last respects to him due to the pandemic. They have, therefore, decided to pay an online musical homage.
Fourteen of them will sing at a 12-hour concert on Friday. The performances, from their homes, will be streamed live on YouTube and Facebook.
The organiser
Ramesh Narayan, Thiruvananthapuram-based and singer and composer, is the man behind this unusual musical homage. He is one of the seniormost disciples of Jasraj.
“My association with him goes back to 1982 when I started learning music from him and I was very much looking forward to singing along with him in Thiruvananthapuram later this year,” Ramesh told The Hindu over phone. “The Kerala government was planning to honour him at a function.”
Ramesh said he had decided to do an online concert in memory of his guru because the pandemic ruled out the possibility of a stage show. “He was one of our greatest classical musicians and deserved a big musical tribute, but unfortunately we cannot conduct any show because of the pandemic,” said Ramesh. “We don't know when music and other performing arts would return to the stage, so we felt we should at least have an online concert.”
The performers
The disciples would sing from different places, including the U.S. and Dubai. Among the singers are Rattan Mohan Sharma, Saptarshi Chakraborty, Goutam Kale, Madhushree Narayan and Madhuvanti Narayan.
“Though all of us will be singing from our homes, the concerts will be proper ones, with accompanying musicians and all,” he said. “We will be performing some of his favourite ragas, such as Darbari Kanada, Jaijaivanti and Natanarayani, compositions, as well as devotional songs.”
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the programme – online, of course.
