MYSURU: Legendary playback singer S Janaki, whose voice was synonymous with south Indian cinema for more than six decades, passed away here Saturday. She was 88.The body will be kept at Maharaja’s College grounds for the public to pay homage, with last rites to be performed at a farmhouse in Kaniyanahundi in Mysuru Sunday.Fondly known as “Janaki Amma” and celebrated as the “Nightingale of South India”, she breathed her last at Apollo Hospital after multiple cardiac arrests. She will be accorded a state funeral.Janaki made Mysuru her home after retiring from playback singing in 2017 and spent her final years away from public glare.Her decision to settle in Mysuru and her wish to have her last rites performed in the city brought her long association with Karnataka full circle — a state where her voice had accompanied generations through romance, heartbreak, devotion and celebration eventually became the place she chose to call home.Though born as Sishtla Sreeramamurthy Janaki on April 23, 1938, near Repalle in present-day Andhra Pradesh, Janaki’s strongest musical bond was with Karnataka.Her association with the state stretched far beyond recording studios. She had recorded the highest number of songs in Kannada during her illustrious career, making her one of the most iconic voices in the Kannada film industry.Her voice became an inseparable part of Kannada cinema’s golden era, featuring in almost every film starring superstar Dr Rajkumar.She also sang for generations of leading actors, from Vishnuvardhan, Ambareesh and Shankar Nag to contemporary stars, remaining the preferred playback singer for almost every leading heroine.Some of her evergreen Kannada songs include ‘Deepavu Ninnade Galiyu Ninnade’, ‘Thaaye Baara Mogava Thora Kannadigara Maatheye’, ‘Yuga Yugadi Kaledaru’ and ‘Bisilaadarenu Maleyaadarenu’.
Over decades, she recorded 48k+ songs
Janaki began her playback career in 1957 and went on to record more than 48,000 songs in over 20 languages, becoming one of India’s greatest playback singers. The University of Mysore conferred an honorary doctorate on her in recognition of her contribution to Indian music.According to a release from Apollo BGS hospital, Janaki was admitted around 12. 50pm Saturday. As her condition was critical, she was immediately wheeled into the ICU. She had suffered injuries from a fall a while back and had since been using a wheelchair.She suffered multiple cardiac arrests and could not be revived. She was declared dead around 7. 30pm.
Legacy in Tamil cinema
Few playback singers have shaped Tamil cinema the way S Janaki did. For nearly six decades, she wasn’t merely a singer lending her voice to heroines, she was the emotional fulcrum of Tamil films.Whether it was romance, sorrow, devotional, folk music or a light comedy, Janaki could alter the texture of her voice to suit the character on screen, making audiences forget there was a singer behind the actor.Her playback journey began in 1957 with Tamil film Vidhiyin Vilayattu. Though her first recording remained relatively unnoticed, it marked the beginning of one of Indian cinema’s greatest musical careers.Her breakthrough arrived with ‘Singara Velane Deva’ from Konjum Salangai (1962).Singing alongside the nadaswaram of Karakurichi Arunachalam, Janaki displayed extraordinary control, effortlessly matching the nuances of the classical instrument. The song remains one of Tamil cinema’s greatest musical achievements and announced her arrival.(With inputs from Neeraja Ramesh)
