Durga Jasraj’s musical offering on her father Pandit Jasraj’s 6th Punyatithi

This year marked the 6th Punyatithi of Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasraj ji. 6 years back on the 17th of August 2020, Pandit Jasraji ji left the physical world for his heavenly abode to meet his beloved Lord Krishna, at the age of 90. Since then, on the 17th of every month, his daughter Durga Jasraj alongwith all the family members of Pandit Jasraj, offers a heartfelt prayer through music in memory of her beloved father, bringing together artistes from different parts of Bharat who participate and perform with great devotion.

This year, the tribute came alive through three soulful performances by distinguished artistes from the world of Indian classical music. The Musical Pooja was filled with the most beautiful musical offerings by Padma Bhushan Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt ji, Salil Bhatt, Padma Shri Pt. Vijay Ghate, Pt. Rattan Mohan Sharma and Swar Sharma along with all the wonderful co- artistes. The commemorative evening was also graced by the presence of Hon. Shri Ashish Shelar, Minister of Cultural Affairs of Maharashtra; Padma Vibhushan Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia ji; Bhajan Samrat Padma Shri Anup Jalota; Maestro Ustad Taufiq Qureshi ; Maestro Deepak Pandit; Famous Bollywood Music Composer Shekhar Ravjiani of Vishal Shekhar and many eminent artistes and music connoisseurs from various parts of the country.

Hon. Shri Ashish Shelar, Minister of Cultural Affairs of Maharashtra shared, “Remembering the legendary Pandit Jasraj Ji on his death anniversary with heartfelt tributes to his extraordinary contribution to Indian classical music. It was a privilege to interact with his daughter Durga Ji and her family, and meet Padma Vibhushan, legendary flautist Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia Ji. Pandit Jasraj Ji’s immortal music will forever remain a treasured part of India’s cultural heritage.”

Durga Jasraj shared, “Musical Pooja is an emotion to express love, gratitude and our reverence to our beloved Bapu ji. He taught us to love music above all, and am truly grateful for that. The only way we can now meet him is when Raags descend into our home and in between the Taal-Laya…It started and has continued because of all the artistes who have performed, created a positive atmosphere of celebrating the journey of one of the greatest musicians of all times – Pandit Jasraj ji.”

Over the last six years, Musical Pooja has evolved into a deeply intimate musical tradition where performance is not merely a recital, but an offering. The format remains deliberately fluid, with the evening featuring one or several performances, always culminating in a meal served to everyone present, continuing the long-standing tradition of the Pandit Jasraj family that no guest should leave without eating.

Within the Indian classical music fraternity, this date has come to be synonymous with Musical Pooja- a continuing prayer where music transforms into devotion, memory into presence, and Pandit Jasraj ji’s timeless legacy lives on through every Raag, Taal and Laya.