By J . M. Lee
Saanjh Jaura, 18, grew up in Amritsar and moved to Canada with her parents, and 5-year-old brother in December 2022. She enrolled at Rick Hansen Secondary School and received her High School diploma in 2024 at eighteen.
Her parents were both teachers. “My dad was a government school teacher, and my mom was a government lecturer in college,” Saanjh said. “We all took the plunge of immigrating to Canada. We celebrated our first Christmas here in 2022.”
Saanjh had constantly been exposed to classical Indian music since she was three. “My dad started teaching me about music. We used to travel by bike in India. On our daily bike rides to school, he would teach me paltas while we glided in the middle of the road. People used to see us and would say, “kar kya rehein hai ye?” (what on earth are you doing in the middle of the road?) And they were all amused. He taught me basic paltas and taans. Then, after four years, I started learning from Dr. Prabhakar Kashyap and Dr. Diwakar Kashyap, who are popular as ‘Kashyap Bandhu’. I learned from them for 9-10 years. This year, I started learning from Ustad Waseem Ahmed Khan.”
She started singing Indian classical music when she was eight. Her Guru, Prabhakar Kashyap, a disciple of Pandit Rajan-Sajan Mishra, was from Banaras but taught at Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he moved to Chandigarh and began teaching Saanjh through online classes. Guru Waseem Ahmed Khan is from Kolkata, and Saanjh continues her learning through online classes.
Saanjh joined a lot of contests, mainly Indian classical music competitions. She competed in so many of them. In 2022, she reached the finals for Satguru Jagjit Singh Indian Classical Pratiyogita. It was an all-India competition. “I took the second place,” she said. “It was judged by Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty. Recently, Saanjh held her debut concert in Canada, Saanjh-e- Mehzbeen organized by Kamal Sharma, President of KVP Entertainers.
Most young singers choose pop or Bollywood music. Many people ask her why she chose Indian classical music instead of pop or Bollywood. “I started learning Indian classical music at a very young age,” she said. “I have tried other types of music, like pop and Bollywood, and I like every type of music as it has proper swar, laya, and rhythm. But for some reason, I always gravitate towards Indian classical music. It’s what gives me peace. But I do sing semi-classical, one of my other favorites, and Bollywood is great too”
Her father has the key role and inspires her to learn Indian classical music. As a child, she was exposed to Indian classical music, which stayed so profoundly in her psyche.
Saanjh’s ideal musicians are her Gurujis. She also loves Kaushiki Chakraborty. “I listen to her often, and her father, Pandit Joy Chakraborty. Every musician is great in their own way”.
Saanjh graduated on June 24, 2024, and will go to UBC in September for a Bachelor of Science degree with Computer Science as her priority option. But she’ll always continue her singing on the side. “In October, I’ll be performing in Calgary,” she says. “It’s a classical event.”
She also has other hobbies, like playing badminton, which she played in her high school. “I came second in girls’ singles in the eastern valley region this year. I also love to paint. I do watercolors and acrylics.”
When she first moved here, Saanjh felt like nobody was listening to pure Indian classical music. But then her dad called Kamal Sharma, and he organized a show for her. That’s when she realized there were people still listening to Indian classical music.
“I follow legendary singers,” Saanjh admits. “Pandit Joy Chakraborty, his daughter, and my Guru. I follow everyone. I also like the legends from the past, like Pandit Bhim Sen Joshi, Pandit Jasraj, and Lata Mangeshkar.”
Practice makes perfect, Saanjh believes. “I wake up every day at 5 or 6 a.m., depending on my school’s time. There’s never been a day when I missed my practice, even if I have no coming performances.”
With such dedication to her love of classical Indian music, Saanjh wants to advise the younger generation to listen to Indian Classical music, so it does not die and be forgotten into extinction. It takes a lot of dedication and practice like any other art—painting, dance, poetry, writing, and even sports—they require a lot of practice and dedication. How can we forget the timeless melodies of Rafi and Geeta Dutt’s melodies used by Guru Dutt in his movies? They have spiritual connections, the highest type of meditation, the universal language of humankind that brings ultimate peace. It’s capable of reaching the stars, touching the infinite, and being one with God.”
Saanjh describes herself as dedicated, passionate, and hardworking. She’s willing to take risks and try to make things happen and will not stop working hard throughout her life.
