Making Melody

The journey of Idea Jalsa: Music for the Soul began in 2006 as a concert tour across 39 Indian cities. In its third year,Idea Jalsa went on air as a television show with 78 episodes on Doordarshan. To up the nostalgia quotient,Durga brought on board her Antakshari co-host,Annu Kapoor. This really helped the show,which then became the highest-rated programme in the morning slot across channels,and was also aired on regional channels of DD during the last two seasons.

Since February 2011,Jalsa has been running on Zee TV. Being on Zee TV helped Jalsa achieve the important milestone of crossing more than 100 million viewers. Although it may not be as well-promoted as the other music-based reality shows,but going by the TV rating points,it is the most-watched music show in India.

Talking about this phenomena,Kapoor says,“India is a large country,and music and dance are an integral part of our society. So,you still find millions appreciating classical and semi-classical music.”

Over the years,the Jalsa stage has witnessed enthralling performances by music legends such as Pandit Jasraj,Pandit Shivkumar Sharma,Dr L Subramaniam,Ustad Amjad Ali Khan,the late Ghazal Maestro Jagjit Singh,the Wadali brothers,Javed Akhtar,Shankar Mahadevan and the Colonial Cousins. “It is a show that encourages the youth as well as showcases the expertise of the experienced,” says Punit Goenka,MD and CEO of Zee Entertainment.

Durga,the daughter of classical vocalist Pandit Jasraj,comes with a strong musical lineage. Yet,she wasn’t keen on promoting classical music alone. “I wanted as many different forms of music to be heard by the audience. The main aim of Jalsa was to provide a platform for musicians,especially young maestros,to showcase their talent as well as to give the audiences an avenue to enjoy music spanning varied genres — Hindustani classical to Sufi and even qawwali and Rajasthani folk,” she says. This format of the show eventually turned out to be its USP.

“Since we kept it open to all genres,we had singers from all across the country with different musical backgrounds approach us,” says Durga.

With over 700 artists and more than 50 different genres of Indian music,Jalsa has provided the Indian music industry with a diverse collection of classical and contemporary Indian music. The show now travels to 226 cities to handpick its contestants. Durga plans to take the show on all digital platforms and popularise it in the rural areas.