S. JANAKI

FROM SAMPATH’S DESK:

  

 S. JANAKI

  (A multi-lingual Veteran and Versatile Singer with Variations)

 

SISTLA JANAKI, a veteran and legendary singer, and an occasional music composer, was born on 23.4.1938 in Pallapatta, Guntur, in the erstwhile Madras Presidency of British India, now in Andhra Pradesh. Having over 48000 songs in 25 languages to her credit including in German, Japanese, English, and Sinhalese, she is affectionately called Janaki Amma, Nightingale of South India, Gaana Kogile, and Isaikkuyil (the latter two terms mean a 'Singing Cuckoo'). She was also hailed as the ‘Queen of Expressions’ during her singing. Her improvisation, vocables, and variations in the course of singing were unmatched.

 

She had two spells/innings of playback singing viz. pre-1976 and post-1976. Her song in 1957 'Singaravelane Deva' for the Tamil film 'Konjum Salangai' was a great hit. Even though she had sung many songs for the music composed by veteran music directors of yesteryear, she scaled the pinnacle of her career in her post-1976 spell, beginning with the Tamil film ANNAKKILI (1976) with Isai Gnani Ilayaraja scoring the music. All the songs in this film proved to be great hits. From then on, the duo continued to rule the roost and produced a trail of hits - trend-setting, thematic, and melodious songs - all made for a splendid collection of ever-green and memorable songs. Yes, like the Indian Cricket team, she played her second innings exceptionally, excellently, and extraordinarily well!

 

Space will miserably fail to accommodate if one attempts to mention all her hit songs here. The Ilayaraja-Janaki dyad produced a variety of songs with Janaki Amma becoming the most-preferred voice choice for songs with the background of rural milieus and the scent of village soil. She sang with generations of male singers, dominating the female singer slot and maintaining the numero uno position for well over two decades.

 

Janaki Amma made her debut as a singer in the 1957 Tamil film ‘Vidhiyin Vilaiyaattu’. In the same year, she sang more than a hundred songs in 6 languages. She is also credited with singing many hit songs in Ilayaraja music. When Janaki was at the acme and zenith of fame and glory in the 1980s, she stunned and amazed the film industry, movie-goers, and song-listeners by singing more than 15 songs on a single day (a record of sorts indeed) and emerging as a leading singer in Tamil. She was the first reigning South Indian female singer to sing more songs in Hindi.

 

National Film Awards she received were:

 

Best Female Playback Singer:

·        1977 – (Song: "Senthoora Poove") 16 Vayathinile, Tamil Film

·        1981 – (Song: "Ettumanoorambalathil") Oppol, Malayalam Film

·        1984 – (Song: "Vennello godari andham") Sitaara, Telugu Film

·        1992 – (Song: "Inji Iduppazhagha") Devar Magan, Tamil Film

 

Lifetime Achievement Award - South -

 

In 2013, she refused to accept the ‘Padma Bhushan’ award because she felt that it was too late in the day considering the very long time she was in the singing field churning out multiple achievements.

She is a simple, down-to-earth person with no pretensions. Her dress code is white. She doesn't wear golden ornaments. 

 

 

(R.SAMPATH)

26/5/2023