Legendary playback singer S Janaki fondly known as the Nightingale of the South passed away at the age of 88 today in Mysuru, Karnataka after battling age related health issues.
Spanning over six decades, her career saw her singing in nearly 48000 songs in multiple languages, including Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi. She was the voice behind generations of film stars. She collaborated with legendary music directors like Ilaiyaraja, M S Viswanathan, K V Mahadevan, A R Rahman, among others. Janaki won the National Film award for Best female playback singer for Senthoora Poove, the debut directorial venture of Bharathiraja in Tamil in the year 1988. She is conferred with 33 State Film Awards.
She was chosen for Padma Bhushan in 2013. She became one of India’s most celebrated voices, delivering countless songs, whether classical compositions, romantic melodies, folk songs, comic numbers and emotionally charged duets. Singara Velane Deva, Chinnanchiriya Vannaparavai and Sakalakala Vallavan in Tamil, Naguva Nayana, Jothiyali Jothejotheyali and Chinnada Mallige Hoove in Kannada are some of the finest songs rendered by S Janaki that showcase the depth and sweetness of her voice.
