Bhubaneswar, Dec. 16: The one thing that Pandit Jasraj reminisces the most when he talks about Odisha is his friendship with Odissi doyen Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra.

"I was enthralled by his performances and he made me cry a number of times. He was the one who brought Odisha on the international map in the cultural arena. Apart from Mohrapatra, Raghunath Panigrahi and Sanjukta Panigrahi were also great artistes," he said.

The maestro is in the city to perform in the concert - Music in Park - at Indira Gandhi Park here tomorrow.

"I have performed in Odisha a number of times. I am hopeful that this performance will be a memorable one," said the vocalist.

Jasraj said his performances were about the moment and went with the flow. "The upcoming singers, especially the ones who are inclined towards western music, are prepared and sure of what they are going to perform. But, when I'm on the stage, I often derive music from things happening around me. It's a spontaneous process," he said.

Jasraj feels the Indian classical music takes years of hardship to master. "My genre of music has no place in television reality shows, but Bollywood music, which is inspired from classical music, feature in such shows. Once you surrender yourself to classical music, you need at least 15 to 20 years to get a grasp of it," he said.

Pandit Jasraj said he was optimistic about how classical music was evolving in the present time. "A number of young artistes are joining the field and I am really hopeful about them. This country has a lot of talent," he said.

He feels parents these days are encouraging their kids to take up music as a profession. "Pandit Bhimsen Joshi had to run away from his home to learn music. I feel this generation is better in these aspects. No one can stop you if you want to learn," summed up the veteran singer.