THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: If sweetness had a voice, it would sound like S Janaki’s. And Keralites have tasted it umpteen times, from the honey-drenched Mizhiyoram (Manjil Virinja Pookkal) to the lovelorn Naadha Nee Varum Kalocha Kelkuvaan to the ebullient Thumbi Vaa.
Gifted with a voice that can send the listener into an intoxicated tizzy, Janaki was known as the Queen of Expressions, and the expressions in her voice showed amazing dexterity to evoke similar feelings in the hearts that would hear her songs, say the doyens of Malayalam film songs, who have grown hearing her, adoring her, and drawing inspiration from her.
“To me, she is no less than magic. No major classical training, no hype, nothing... just surreal talent in all its divine aura. After a point, she kept to herself, but her body of work stood up for her. And how can it not? Look at the number of languages she has sung in, and the range of emotions in them. Can there be any more intricacy of music in a sound?” asks Arundhati B, veteran singer.
Arundhati feels she was blessed to have met Janaki once while recording an Onam song collection, but her association with the legend was mostly musical, as she worshipped Janaki’s Malayalam landmarks Manjani Poonilavu, Tamarakumbilallo, Oru Kochu Swapnathin, etc.
“Those and many more are gems, all research material in superlative singing, yet the jewel who sang them had a very humble aura, her devotion showing itself in her simple, innocent demeanour. What can I say except that she knew nothing but to sing as she herself said once. Such a life is indeed one that is born to sing in all its literal sense,” says the singer, as she saluted the soul that has inspired many professionals in her generation.
Singer Sujatha Mohan remembers Janaki for her music, and much more.
“She was our guru, though she has not taught us. In the era of light music, she was an era on her own. The legacy can be felt most by singers, who will feel a part of them lost now,” she says, containing her sobs.
“No one is immortal, we know, but the beauty of what she left behind is too huge to bear the loss. But what is most sweet about her is her motherly touch, her humility that knew no par.
Her son had passed away recently, and she was preparing for a stage show in some months on all the songs that he liked. She had lost a granddaughter too. Whenever we would visit her in Hyderabad and Mysuru, she would speak with a tinge of sadness about why God has still kept her alive.
Yet, she would never leave us without partaking food, and would even feed us with her own hands at times. That voice has grown silent, the one that could sing anything given to her, even a rap number,” remembers Sujatha, highlighting Janaki’s evergreen Chinna Tayaval and Sooryakanthi in Malayalam as her favourite songs of the legendary singer.
Singer Manjeri
(Janaki) Amma’s demise came as shocking news to me. Her singing style can never be imitated by anyone, especially the ‘throw’ in her voice. Janaki Amma’s voice has transcended the barriers of languages - her voice has not just touched listeners in the usually heard languages like Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi, but also those like Odia and Bengali.
Though I have not had many occasions to spend time with her, we have performed on the same stages. I have also sung her songs in tribute programmes to her before Amma herself.
The small smiles, gentle claps suggesting that she loves our performance are moments which I will always cherish in my life. Especially for a budding artist like me then, it was highly motivating when Janaki Amma came up, hugged me, and said: “You sang very well, dear”. I learnt the art of giving cinematic expressions in film songs from her, as she was an expert.
