Pandit Jasraj’s body reaches Mumbai from New Jersey, cremation tomorrow

Pandit Jasraj’s body reached Mumbai from New Jersey on Wednesday. He died of cardiac arrest on Monday.

Late classical singer and Padma Vibhushan Pandit Jasraj’s body has been brought back to India. He died in New Jersey on Monday.

Pandit Jasraj’s body has reached Mumbai from New Jersey. (Varinder Chawla/HT)

According to Pritam Sharma, media coordinator for the family, Pandit Jasraj’s ‘antim darshan’ will be held on Thursday at his Versova residence, followed by the last rites which will take place at Pawan Hans Crematorium in Vile Parle. He will be cremated with state honours and be given a 21-gun salute, Sharma added.

Pandit Jasraj’s body reaches Mumbai.

Pandit Jasraj’s body arrived in Mumbai on Tuesday.

His granddaughter Shweta Pandit had told Bombay Times on Tuesday, “Dadu’s body is being brought back from New Jersey and will reach Mumbai tomorrow. We need to get some permissions in place for safety during the pandemic. We spoke almost every week in the last six months during the pandemic, since this was the one time when we were all at home. When the pandemic struck, he was in his New Jersey home with his students and he had to stay put there.”

Disciples and followers of music legend Pandit Jasraj in the US paid their tributes to the Indian classical vocalist and described his death as an irreparable loss to India and its cultural heritage while fondly recalling his humble and gentle nature.

Former president of the diaspora organisation, US Federation of Indian Associations (FIA), Alok Kumar paid his respects to the legendary artist at the Hindu Funeral Home in Highland Park in New Jersey. Kumar said a large number of people had gathered at the funeral home during the day to pay their respects to Pandit Jasraj. Keeping in mind the social distancing requirements amid the pandemic, a limited number of people were being allowed at a time to enter the funeral home and pay their tributes.

“We will all miss the musical legend. It is indeed the end of an era in Indian classical music. With Pandit Jasraj’s death, we have lost a ‘sargam’ of shastriya sangeet,” Kumar told PTI. “No one can match the legend that he was.” Hari, one of Pandit Jasraj’s disciples, said that all his pupils are still in a state of shock and are trying to come to terms with the tremendous loss. “We are trying to make sense of it. We are deeply feeling his loss but we also see the wealth of love that he has left behind,” he said.

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