India lost a musical icon in S Janaki’s passing: President Murmu

New Delhi, Jul 12 (PTI) President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday condoled the passing of legendary playback singer S Janaki, and said the country has lost a musical icon in her demise. Janaki (88) passed away at a private hospital in Mysuru, Karnataka, on Saturday due to age-related ailments, family sources said. “In the passing of legendary playback singer S Janaki Amma, India has lost a musical icon. Her extraordinary singing enthralled generations,” Murmu said in a post on X. Her illustrious career spanned more than six decades, during which she recorded thousands of songs in nearly 20 Indian languages, including Hindi, Odia, Tulu, Urdu, Punjabi and Bengali, the president said. “Her timeless music will always remain valuable. I extend my heartfelt condolences to her family and countless admirers,” she added. Born on April 23, 1938, at Guntur in Andhra Pradesh, Janaki recorded more than 48,000 songs in multiple languages, predominantly in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. Fondly known as ‘Janaki Amma’ among her disciples and followers, she was regarded as the ‘Nightingale of South India’ for her versatility. PTI AKV ARI