Chennai, Jul 11 (PTI) Her pristine vocals served as the soundtrack to the state’s collective joys, heartbreaks, romances, and spiritual awakenings for over six decades. The passing away of Sistla Janaki—reverently addressed by millions as Janaki Amma—marked the sunset of the most glorious era in South Indian music.
She was admitted to a corporate hospital in Mysuru at around 12.49 pm today in a critical condition. Despite resuscitative efforts, she experienced multiple cardiac arrests and could not be revived, the hospital said. She breathed her last at around 7.30 pm. She was 88.
Born on April 23, 1938, in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, Janaki’s voice enthralled millions. Arriving in Chennai (then Madras) in the late 1950s, Janaki quickly
transitioned from a young prodigy into the definitive matriarch of playback singing.
She stunned Tamil Nadu’s musically discerning audience by matching the intricate notes of a live Nadaswaram instrument in the monumental “Singara Velane Deva” (Konjum Salangai).
It was Janaki’s voice in “Machaanai Paatheengala” that bridged the gap between modern recording studios and the rustic, wind-swept villages of Tamil Nadu.
Her evergreen song: Senthoora Poove (16 Vayathinile), the iconic masterpiece composed by Ilaiyaraaja, won her a national film award for best female playback singer.
Songs like “Inji Iduppazhagi (Thevar Magan),” “Sundari Kannal Oru Sethi” (Thalapathy) and “Poththi Vachcha” (Mann Vaasanai) carried a quality all their own — proof of a voice that could make any melody unmistakably hers.
Janaki’s bond with the people of Tamil Nadu was perhaps most fiercely cemented in 2013. When she declined the Padma Bhushan award, stating it came “too late” and pointing out the historical neglect of South Indian artists, she spoke with the proud, unyielding voice of the very region that had nurtured her career.
Though her voice has fallen silent in Mysuru, her spirit lingers on in the air she once filled with music.
Hailed as the “Nightingale of South India”, Janaki’s career spanned over six decades, during which she recorded nearly 48,000 songs across 20 languages, including Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi.
She was also known for her memorable on-screen vocal duets with S P Balasubrahmanyam and P B Srinivas.
Tributes poured in from across the film fraternity.
Actor-politician Kamal Haasan said her songs would keep resounding forever, adding on X that her demise had caused inconsolable sorrow to millions of her fans.
Expressing his condolences to the bereaved family and fans, Tamil superstar Rajinikanth said she had delighted generations with her honey-sweet voice.
“The passing away of S Janaki, the legendary playback singer who has won the hearts of multiple generations with her unique voice in the Indian film music world, brings immense sorrow,” Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay said.
Having sung thousands of songs across languages, she left an indelible mark on the world of music, Vijay said in a message on X.
A recipient of countless prestigious awards, including National Film Awards, she will forever remain etched in the hearts of fans for her sweet voice, her exceptional ability to convey emotion, and her unwavering dedication to music, he said.
“Her demise is an irreplaceable loss to the Indian music world,” Vijay said, extending his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, fans and film fraternity. PTI JSP SSK
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