In an industry marked by unscrupulous careerists and no-holds barred competitors, S. Janaki gaaru is that rare voice of integrity.
Playback singer extraordinaire, she, along with P.Suseela garu, formed the twin pillars of female voice accompaniment from the 70s to the 90s in then united Andhra.
As such, it is only natural that our continuing Series on Andhra Personalities includes this scintillating singer: S.Janaki.
Background
Born April 23, 1938 in Palapatla, Andhra Pradesh (then part of the Madras Presidency), Sishtla Sreeramamurthy Janaki is a native of Guntur District. She became a singer at the tender age of 3, and has not looked back since.
She is said to have been inspired by the All India Radio programmes and was given instruction in music by Paidiswamy. She later won the AIR music prize (2nd place) and that catalysed a legendary music career. This native Guntur girl then shifted to Chennai where she became a staff artiste at AVM Studios.
Janaki gaaru’s first film was in Tamil (Vidhiyin Vilayadal)in 1957. While this was not released, the Telugu version later was and she featured in 2 songs.
In her very first year, Janaki is estimated to have sung 100 songs in six languages, which was a record of sorts in those days. [6]
Since she is a favourite of God’s Own Country, “her first Malayalam film song was ‘Irul moodukayo vaanil….’ from the film ‘Minnunnathellam Ponnalla’ (1957)”. [6] Her versatility is considered to be astonishing: aside from her command of emotional range, she has sung imitating a child, imitating a drunk, and even imitating a man. It is, therefore, not for nothing that she is considered gifted at mimicry too.
S. Janaki is also considered a talented lyricist. She has composed a number of songs in Telugu and Tamil. Even more impressive, she composed music for the Telugu film Mouna Poraatam (1988).
Aside from playback music, she has also recorded Classical Carnatic standards as well. Despite marrying and being busy with family life, she managed to continue her career and showcase her talent to Andhra, the rest of the country, and even large swathes of the world. Reputedly very spiritual, she has sung numerous Bhakti songs dedicated to Krishna and Shirdi Sai Baba.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DG102wyd2Q
Achievements
S.Janaki gaaru’s achievements rarely need recitation to the rasikas of Telugu (and South Indian) filmdom. Her distinguished, decades-long career had her singing beside fellow greats such as S.P.Balasubramanyam and Yesudas, and she sang for top heroines such as Jayaprada and Sridevi. With her unique ability to convincingly emote a range of rasas, her voice is celebrated by many even today.
She was univerally feted by the 4 main South Indian Film industries for her contributions. In Kannada alone she is said to have sung 1,000 songs. Despite this volume in Kannada, and her nativity in Andhra, she is considered the “Malayali’s eternal favourite” [6], and has practically been adopted as a daughter of Kerala. Such is the story of the scintillating songstress S. Janaki.
She was also awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2013, which she famously rejected (many believe rightly so). It is no secret that South India has been neglected in national awards and patronage. While many credit Delhi centric politics, there is a more insidious reason. Under the mantle of Ganga-Yamuna Tehzeeb (in fact more of Tehzeeb and less Ganga-Yamuna), the practitioners of native arts and the native artforms themselves are neglected by a foreign looking and debauched elite that looks to the arts of India’s neighbour.
It is time that persons of sophistication and true refined taste, rasika and sahrdaya alike, make it a point to emphasise our own traditions. We have our own tastes and there is no reason to wax eloquent over parvenu traditions easily branded as all flair and little framework. Rather than praising others who borrowed our frameworks for their own tastes (self-servingly mocking ours) and agendas , it is time those of us who hold true to Bharata Muni reassert the beauty of our own tastes and assert what is in fact ours. In her own quiet way, S.Janaki gaaru did just that, and the accomplishments of this talented singer give her the gravitas to hit just the right note.
- Hugely popular playback singer in South India with a career stretching 50+years
- Recorded 20,000+ songs in 17 languages ranging from Telugu and Hindi to Japanese and even German
- Received 31 state awards and 4 National awards. 14 times in Kerala and 7 times in AP
- Awarded Honorary Doctorate by Mysore University for her contributions to Kannada Playback Industry over 35 years
- Was awarded Padma Bhushan, which she famously rejected
Legacy
Hugely popular for over 50 years throughout Southern India, S. Janaki is a veritable playback industry institution. It is rare for a singer or even actor to be so universally beloved by another state. But what the Marathi “Rajnikanth” Gaekwad is to Tamil Nadu, so the Andhra Janakiamma is to Kerala. So why is she known as The Queen of Expression?
The voice which expressed deep hidden feelings of a village girl equally emoted most modern notes of urban. The Voice which expressed the pain in love expressed the sensuous notes with same ease. [1]
References:
- http://www.sjanaki.net/
- http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0754169/
- http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/playback-singer-s-janaki-rejects-padma-bhushan/1065210/
- http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/article1823877.ece
- http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/musicindia/kannada-composers-laud-s-janaki-for-doctorate-honour_25461.html
- http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/article2272857.ece
