Vijayan, actors, musicians condole death of legendary singer Janaki

Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 12 (PTI) Condolences poured in from Kerala on Sunday following the demise of legendary playback singer S Janaki, with film personalities, musicians and public figures paying rich tributes to the iconic singer and recalling her unparalleled contribution to Indian film music. Janaki died at a private hospital in Mysuru on Saturday due to age-related ailments. She was 88. According to family sources, she developed breathing difficulties on Friday night and was admitted to the hospital, where she passed away. Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Pinarayi Vijayan said the passing of Janaki marks the end of a remarkable era in Indian cinema and music. "She may have come from another state, but her voice found a home in every Malayali heart. With every song, she gave expression to our deepest emotions and became part of our memories and our lives," he said in a post on 'X.' Her music will continue to resonate across generations, and her extraordinary legacy will endure forever, Vijayan added. Actor Mohanlal, in a Facebook post, described Janaki as "Bharat's nightingale" whose soulful songs in Malayalam, Hindi and several other languages defined an era. Recalling that Janaki had sung the songs in his debut film 'Manjil Virinja Pookkal', Mohanlal said he would always remain indebted to her. He said the singer had lent her magical voice to every human emotion--joy, sorrow and innocence--and that he was fortunate to have featured in many songs rendered by her over the years. Describing her as a calm and affectionate person who treated everyone equally, the actor said he shared a close personal bond with the singer and prayed for eternal peace to her soul. Megastar Mammootty shared a photograph of Janaki on his social media handle and expressed his condolences. Actor Manju Warrier also paid tribute by sharing the veteran singer's photograph on Facebook with the caption, "Art lives forever." Playback singer G Venugopal said the beautiful songs Janaki created during a golden era of music would live forever. Playback singer M G Sreekumar described Janaki's style of singing as a "textbook for every student of music." Music composer M Jayachandran said Janaki embodied extraordinary purity, humility, love and devotion, and remembered her as not only one of India's greatest singers but also one of the most humble and affectionate human beings he had the privilege to know. Known for her versatility, Janaki recorded more than 48,000 songs in over 20 languages, predominantly Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. Meanwhile, state government sources said on Sunday that Higher Education Minister Roji M John will represent the Kerala government at the funeral of Janaki. PTI LGK KH