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She markets classical music
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Durga Jasraj is busy bringing corporates and classical music together
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Photo: VipinChandran
Self made Durga Jasraj, is doing her bit, in a new way, to popularise classical music
Mile sur mera tumhara’ (let our tunes merge), sing our classical musicians in unison and merging the ‘sur’ and ‘taal,’ the rhyme and rhythms of classical music and corporate is Durga Jasraj in her ongoing Jalsa series of concert of 24 cities.
Sincere attempt
Said Durga about marketing classical music in a way to reach out to a larger audience: “I don’t come from a corporate background. I was not shy to ask questions to learn the trade. When companies found that I was sincere they changed their attitude towards me.”
And so she formed Art and Artistes, a private limited company along with Vikram Shankar. Indian Music Academy (IMA) comes under its umbrella. “It took six years for the IMA to take shape and it came about only last year.”
The gap between business and performing arts that Durga bridges is finally paying off with Jalsa music concerts bringing on stage a young classical artist and a music legend together. This is followed by an interactive session. “People perceive classical music as CSR, Corporate Social Responsibility. You have to make a project that the corporate body will understand. Market the project their way, after all art forms are intangible.”
The going was tough for Durga in the beginning. “I am a bad combo of being a celebrity daughter and being famous yourself. I was put through a test at every stage. I am not afraid of the test. I will be afraid if I don’t deliver.”
But Durga has delivered time and again in her inimitable classic style. Daughter of Pandit Jasraj and granddaughter of V. Shataram, she has set for herself very high standards. Was she ever afraid of being unable to match their level?
“I am bogged down by my own expectations. In a family of legends and achievers, you actually raise your levels of excellence by merely seeing them. You don’t know how to cut corners. My mind does not allow me to do anything substandard. I have yet to prove myself but the journey has begun and I am thankful to God.”
Remember the beautiful face and voice that anchored Antakshari on Zee TV?
“My journey started much before Antakshari, being an individual producer for Femina Miss India show. I felt that if I become famous people will take me seriously. I felt people have to look at me beyond somebody’s daughter and somebody’s granddaughter. My own identity came out of Antakshari. It made it a lot easier after that.”
Durga who married at the young age of 18 soon moved out of it with her daughter, Avni, who is 23 now.
Recalling those difficult days she says, “To rise you need to go into a ditch. My marriage didn’t work out. I don’t have memories of even what went wrong. My life like all others is predestined. Now I am on a journey which is in a virgin area. ”
But the journey was not easy initially.
“I started by singing in a chorus. I would play the tanpura for Rs.300. I would sing jingles. I decided to take the responsibility of my life in my hands.” And so she went through the entire gamut of the show world. Modelling, anchoring TV shows, TV serials.
“All the time I knew that if I become famous people will hear me better.”
And now she’s being heard very clearly. “It’s not possible for me to deviate from what I am doing now because it is something that I wanted to do.”
And so she markets classical music in a fashion that keeps the sanctity of this revered institution intact.
“Somewhere ethics and marketing have to marry. Though all Ustads and Pandits are shocked at ‘Tiranga’ and ‘Jalsa’ they cannot find fault with the aesthetics or the sensibilities of music.” And all her efforts are for the Generation next.
“The GenX should have the right to experiment in the same parameters of music because it is a performing art, a living art. Contemporariness needs to come in all arts like what T20 did to cricket.”
And this journey of reaching Indian classical music to a generation of young listeners through corporate support has Durga coming up with conclusions. “I realised in the process that artistes don’t think of companies and corporates don’t understand artistes. There has to be somebody who brings them together.” And that’s what Durga Jasraj is doing and doing well.
PRIYADERSHINI S
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Puducherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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