BySukant Deepak

February 4, 2022 (IANSlife) "How many of us consider what it takes to make a career in music while listening?" What are the challenges, what kind of infrastructure is required, what needs to be done for instrument makers, and how can the music makers who enable the magic to reach us flourish?" asks musician and actor Durga Jasraj, who recently launched the Pandit Jasraj Cultural Foundation with Neeraj Jaitley.

Jasraj, who has been running her company 'Arts & Artist India Private Limited' for the past 25 years, says that the foundation will help remember not just the late maestro's contribution to music, but what he did to the sector as a whole.

"He was most likely the only person of his generation who promoted the next generation in such a way that they did not have to be his disciples or belong to his gharana." Musicians of all genres were encouraged in every way by him simply because they were good."

For someone who co-founded the Indian Music Academy decades ago, she says that at the time she felt that a body for musicians, by musicians, would benefit the music industry. "However, it was a very romantic notion that musicians would help each other. You need the rest of the world to help you flourish and prosper and penetrate deep into the masses. The Indian Music Academy did not have a CSR funding gate open. ATG exemption has already been obtained through the Pandit Jasraj Cultural Foundation. We have individuals such as NK Singh, Chairman of the 15th Finance Commission and President of the Institute of Economic Growth; Mukul Mudgal, Former Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court; and bureaucrats such as Jayesh Ranjan and Anjani Kumar onboard.”

While there are several festivals for the young, Jasraj believes that what is lacking in the ecosystem is the presence of good curators— people who are qualified to design a festival. "It's a completely different set of skills." And I believe our company has made a significant contribution." When we were on Doordarshan channels with 'Jalsa,' we were talking about Indian traditional music and folk music, not just classical music. You must take the risk of sticking your neck out and saying, "Hear this person for two minutes."

Lamenting that unlike abroad, heritage and culture are never a priority for major corporates when it comes to philanthropy or CSR budgets, she says, “As per the data of the last many years, the spend on this area is negligible. Major corporates need to understand their social responsibility and contribute towards the arts in form of scholarships and funding institutions etc. There can be immense impact by sponsoring or supporting programs which are related to training, and education.”

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Sukant Deepak can be contacted at sukant.d@ians.in