Legendary singer S. Janaki passes away at 88

MYSURU: Legendary playback singer S. Janaki, affectionately known as 'Janakiamma' and regarded as one of the finest voices in Indian cinema, passed away on Saturday at the age of 88. She died in Mysuru after battling age-related ailments.

With a career spanning more than six decades, Janaki recorded an estimated 40,000 songs in over 20 languages, making her one of the most prolific playback singers in the history of Indian cinema.

Following the death of her husband, V. Ramaprasad, she had largely stayed away from the public eye and film music. Her son Murali Krishna had passed away in Mysuru on January this year, at the age of 65.

Born on April 23, 1938, in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur district, Janaki developed an interest in music at the age of three. She began formal training in Carnatic music under Paidi Swami when she was 10. Her maternal uncle, Dr. Chandrasekhar, recognised her talent early and encouraged her to move to Madras (now Chennai) to pursue a career in music.

Her breakthrough came after she won second prize in a national singing competition organised by Akashvani (All India Radio). The recognition earned her a position at AVM Studios in Madras. In 1957, at the age of 19, she made her playback debut with a song composed by T. Chalapathi Rao for the Tamil film Vidhiyin Vilayaattu.

Career that crossed languages

Janaki's versatility was unmatched. She sang in almost every major Indian language, including Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, Odia, Bengali, Marathi, Tulu, Urdu, Gujarati, Punjabi, Konkani, Assamese and Sindhi. She also recorded songs in English, Japanese, Arabic, German and Sinhala.

She recorded the largest number of songs in Kannada, Malayalam and Tamil. In Malayalam cinema alone, she sang more than 1,200 songs after being introduced to the industry by music director M.S. Baburaj. Apart from playback singing, she also composed music and wrote lyrics for a number of Tamil and Telugu films.

Her contribution to Indian cinema earned her four National Film Awards for Best Female Playback Singer. She won her first in 1976 for Sindhoora Poove from the Tamil film 16 Vayathinile. This was followed by awards in 1980 for Ettumanoor Ambalathil (Oppol), in 1984 for Vennello Godari Andham (Sitara), and in 1992 for Inji Iduppazhaga from Thevar Magan.

Honours and an enduring legacy

Janaki received the Kerala State Film Award for Best Playback Singer a record 14 times. She also won seven Tamil Nadu State Film Awards and 10 Andhra Pradesh State Film Awards. Her honours included the Kalaimamani Award in 1986, the Sur Singer Award in 1987 and the Swaralaya Yesudas Award in 2005.

In 2013, she was selected for the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian honour, but declined the award, saying the recognition had come too late in her career.

For generations of Malayalis, Janaki's voice became an inseparable part of cinema. Among her memorable songs are Thaliritta Kinakkal (Moodupadam), Vasantha Panchami Naalil (Bhargavi Nilayam), Suryakanthi... Suryakanthi (Kattuthulasi), Manimukile (Kadathukaran), Kavilathu Kanneer Kandu and Thamarakumbilallo (Anveshichu Kandethiyilla), Avidunnen Ganam Kelkan and En Prana Nayakane (Pareeksha), Kannil Kannil (Danger Biscuit), Thane Thirinjum Marinjum (Ambalapravu), and Innale Neeyoru (Sthree).

With her passing, Indian cinema has lost one of its most cherished voices. Yet the thousands of songs she left behind will continue to inspire and resonate with music lovers for generations.