The nightingale who stole Kerala’s heart

S. Janaki remained the eternal favourite of generations of music lovers in Kerala, though never for the want of alternatives. There were stalwarts when she first arrived on the scene, and equally formidable voices when she thrived. None of them were mere pushovers, but legends in their own right such as P. Leela, P. Susheela, and Vani Jayaram. Yet casual listeners, more often than not, chose Janaki.

It was not just her effortless singing style that endeared her to them. She was always cheerful, pleasant, and free of airs, from the time she was the undisputed voice of her era to when she gradually faded from the music scene in Kerala. A lullaby, Ammapoovinum from the film Pathu Kalpanakal more than a decade ago, was probably her last Malayalam film song. Still, music lovers never forgot her. Her name surfaced with striking frequency whenever both listeners and musicians were asked about their favourite singer.

Her debut in Malayalam playback remains disputed. Often Minnalppadayaali, directed by G. Vishwanath and released in 1959, is cited as her first. But according to music historians, the song Irul Moodukayo En Vaazhvil from the crime-thriller Minnunnathellam Ponnalla, released two years earlier, marked the true beginning of her Malayalam journey.

Of the same ilk

It was a coincidence that for a lifelong Lata Mangeshkar admirer, Janaki’s Malayalam debut was a song composed to the tune of Hemant Kumar’s popular Mera Dil Ye Pukare Aaj, sung by Lata herself. While Lata was hailed as the Nightingale of India, her ardent fan would later be crowned the Nightingale of South India.

Janaki truly burst onto the Malayalam music scene in the 1960s, lending her voice to almost all eminent composers of the time, from B. A. Chidambaranath and G. Devarajan to Baburaj. Songs like Kaanaan nalla kinaavukal kondoru composed by Devarajan for the 1962 film Bharya, and Baburaj’s Thaliritta Kinakkal for Moodupadam, made her a household name.

Her finest years, however, were still ahead in the 1970s and 80s, when she dominated and left competition far behind. The ten Kerala State Film Awards for Best Playback Singer she won during the 14-year period between 1970 and 1984 stand as testimony to that supremacy. The National Award for Ettumanoorambalathil from Oppol (1981) was the crowning glory. And the very next year, she amazed audiences with the rendition of the song Kokkamandi, mimicking the voice of a child for the film Chiriyo Chiri.

She was a hit on the ganamela stages as well. Always by her side was her devoted husband V. Ramprasad, who meticulously checked the sound system and related arrangements before Janaki took the microphone. At a concert in Palluruthy Veli decades ago, Janaki rendered Unarunaroo Unnipoove, a tough choice for live shows, but without blinking an eye, and followed it with an encore on audience request.