After Pandit Jasraj exclaimed, “This is Madras, No one can understand what I just did, except the Madras audience,” the whole auditorium at Krishna Gana Sabha broke out in applause and whistles.
Seated on a beautifully-decorated stage, amid accompanists including the grammy-nominated Shashank Subramanyam on the flute and his students, the 85-year-old prolific Hindustani vocalist essayed the notes of raga Jaijaiwanti with grace, playing along the swarmandal, giving the audience goose bumps.
Watching Jasraj wade through the lowest and the highest of notes of the songs with alarming ease was like an art work taking shape in front of you — with the artists doing their bit, driven by instinct and spirit, rather than routine.
“It is surprising how the musicians pitch in when needed, just out of spirit and although it does not seem like a pattern like in Carnatic music when the accompanists and the vocalist necessarily take alternate turns to present the kirthanais, and yet, the picture turns out to be perfect,” said a member of the audience.
This could perhaps be explained by the camaraderie between the vocalist, his students and accompanists. While the pandit delivered a particularly unique phrase, he smiled and nodded at Ramkumar Mishra on the tabla whose improvisations coupled with Jasraj’s powerful yet soulful voice and wide array of swaras brought repeated rounds of applause from the audience.
Certain moments when Shashank Subramanyam’s interludes encouraged the singer to showcase the soul of the songs even better, were the ones that transported music lovers into another realm. Some of them had their eyes closed and were found nodding their heads, as though in a deep mesmerised trance.
An hour of listening to his intricate compositions in raga Jaijaiwanti and Hamsadwani made his fans want their favourite — Maata Kaalika. The 500-seater hall resounded with the crowd’s request, to which Jasraj responded immediately. After over 10 minutes, when the bhajan ended, they reciprocated with thunderous applause. One of them, a lady in her 60s, struggled even as she rose from her seat to confer her ovation. Who other than Pandit Jasraj can manage something like that?