Kerala remembers the divine voice of S. Janaki

As the mellifluous voice of S. Janaki slipped into memory, tributes poured in from Kerala’s music world, where she reigned over film and devotional music for decades.

Music composer Vidhyadharan, who had Janaki sing for his debut film Aagamanam, directed by Jeassy, as well as five devotional songs, described her as “immortal.” “To hear her sing was divine. The quality of her voice was such that it was hard to believe she had never undergone formal training. It was nothing short of a miracle. I still recall the recording of my devotional songs. After rendering the first one, she was so moved by the melody that she insisted on singing the second only in the evening, saying it was not to be sung casually back-to-back,” he said.

‘A gift from God’

Janaki sang just one song for prolific lyricist Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri, the peppy Chicha Chicha from Kamal’s Mazhayethum Munpe (1995). Yet Kaithapram became her lifelong admirer the moment he heard Unarunaroo Unnipoove, composed by K. Raghavan for Ammaye Kaanaan in 1963. “Her mesmerising voice was a gift directly from God. It could not have been trained or acquired. She had this rare ability to master even the toughest compositions in the shortest time and render them pitch-perfect. Her tonal purity was such that it felt as though her voice carried the resonance of a tambura. I have heard the late S.P. Balasubrahmanyam recall how ‘Amma’ discovered him and urged him to embrace music after hearing him at a college function,” he said.

Singer Biju Narayanan never shared playback space with her in films, but he had the fortune of singing a few devotional songs alongside her, besides performing together on stage in Chennai and abroad. He remembered his first meeting with her in a recording studio in Chennai three decades ago. “Amma’s voice had an inherent, organic quality that conveyed every emotion, from melancholy to elation with equal ease. On screen, her voice seamlessly matched the character she sang for. I still recall how her song Mauname from Thakara transported the entire theatre audience to another world. Perhaps that was my first lesson in how to truly connect with listeners through playback singing,” he said.

Musician Sreevalsan J. Menon noted that Janaki’s singing resonated deeply with audiences, leaving an everlasting imprint like no other. “Vidhyadharan Master often said that a rendition should make listeners believe in what the singer conveys. Janaki Amma’s voice had that rare quality. It convinced listeners, no matter the genre she sang,” he said.