Pandit Jasraj Cultural Foundation celebrates the 93rd birth anniversary of the doyen of Indian classical music

In the memory of Sangeet Martand, Padma Vibhushan, Pandit Jasraj, the Pandit Jasraj Cultural Foundation, celebrated the 93rd birth anniversary of the doyen of Indian classical music. The foundation was launched in 2022 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the anniversary of its inception was held on Saturday at Hotel Taj, Chandigarh.

The chief guest of the anniversary celebrations was Chief Minister of Haryana, Manohar Lal Khattar, with singer. Pt Jasraj’s wife, Madhura Pandit Jasraj, also graced the event.

Pandit Jasraj was born in Pilli Mandori, a small village in Haryana’s Fatehabad district. Durga Jasraj and Neeraj Jaitly, founders of the Pandit Jasraj Cultural Foundation, shared, “This is a special moment; the cultural renaissance we hope to bring in the pious land of Gita, our beloved Haryana, at a global level.”

The doting daughter of Pt. Jasraj, Durga believes that her father is always with her, “While all his life he has imparted golden words of wisdom, one thing that I particularly remember that my father told me was: ‘Every relationship has an expiry date, and when it comes, it’s better to remember only the positive aspects of the relationship henceforth.” Durga urged the CM Haryana to organise an international level music festival, in Gurugram, Panchkula or Chandigarh. “ She also felt that it shouldn’t be one-off thing, but an annual affair so as to create an environment in the state and in turn in India for music.” She added, “To remember Pt. Jasraj, the presence of music is a must. His wisdom sharpened our focus, intent and we believe that music is something your heart responds to, and we hope to celebrate the essence of music and give music lovers an immersive, new experience,”. A project called Oxy Van (oxygen forest), to create city forest for Panchkula in over 55 acres, will be named after Pt Jasraj. Chief Minister of Haryana announced the making of two entry gates in his name at his birthplace, apart from two volleyball grounds (men and women) and a library in the name of the legendary musician. Neeraj shared, “The focus of our not-for-profit endeavour is the promotion of music across genres and the practitioners of music.”

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