Veteran playback singer S Janaki, fondly known as Janaki Amma and the “Nightingale of South India,” has died at the age of 88. Her passing marks the end of an extraordinary era in Indian film music.
During a career spanning nearly six decades, Janaki recorded thousands of songs in several Indian languages and became one of the most admired playback singers in the country.
She won four National Film Awards and numerous State Film Awards for her memorable contribution to cinema.
Born on April 23, 1938, in Pallapatla in present-day Andhra Pradesh, Janaki spent much of her childhood in Sircilla. Her father, Sistla Sreeramamurthy, was an Ayurvedic doctor and teacher.
She gave her first stage performance at the age of nine. Though she learned the basics of music from Nadaswaram exponent Paidiswamy, she did not undergo formal training in classical music.
Janaki began her playback singing career at the age of 19 with the Tamil film Vidhiyin Vilayattu in 1957. In the same year, she recorded songs in six languages, beginning a remarkable journey that would continue for decades.
Though Telugu was her mother tongue, she could speak and write fluently in Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi.
Her ability to adapt her voice to different languages, emotions and characters made her one of Indian cinema’s most versatile singers.
In 1959, she married V Ramprasad, who strongly supported her career and accompanied her to several recording sessions. He died of cardiac arrest in 1997.
Janaki retired from film recordings and live performances in 2016. However, she briefly returned in 2018 to sing for the Tamil film Pannaadi.
In 2013, Janaki declined the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian honour, saying that the recognition had come too late in her long career. She said the affection and appreciation of her listeners remained her greatest reward.
Her death leaves a major void in Indian music, but her timeless songs and distinctive voice will continue to live on for generations.
