S.Janaki is one of the greatest singers of all times in the Indian Cinema. She will be turning 75 on 23rd April and I salute her for the wonderful songs that she has rendered over the last 55 years. Many of her songs will remain evergreen and "Singaravelane Deva" is really the top on my list:
Her illustrious career in the film industry started in 1957 and she has sung several thousand songs in several Languages including English, Japanese, German, Sinhalese and Sanskrit. She has received the National Award for best playback singer four times and has received several state awards in the last five decades.
She is a very versatile singer and can easily adapt into any genre. The testimony to this is her song in Hindi Film Saaheb in 1985 "yaar bina chain kahan re":
The songs that she has rendered in Maestro Ilayaraja's music are some of the best songs of S.Janaki. She has also worked with various other Music Directors like M.S.Viswanathan, K.V.Mahadevan, Shankar Ganesh, Chakravarthy during the 1980s and given so many hit songs through her lovely voice. The modulation and pitch with which she has rendered some of the songs is really unbelievable. She is a truly gifted singer and her songs will live for ever.
There are a number of hit songs in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam and I have listed below some of my favourite songs from Tamil Films sung by S.Janaki:
- Singaravelane Deva
- Konja neram ennai marandhen
- Kaatrukkenna veli
- Unnidathil ennai koduthen
- Poovarasamboo poothachu
- Senthoora poove senthoora poove
- Naadam en jeevane
- Puttam pudhu kaalai
- Kodiyile malliga poo manakkuthe maane
- Azhaghu malar aada abinayangal kooda
- Raasave unna naan
- Kotta paakkum kozhundhu vethalayum
- Nenjukkulle innarunnu sonnal
- Vaazhavaikkum kaadalukku jai
- Pattu poove mettu podu
- Mounamaana neram
- Maalai soodum velai
- Isai medayil inba velayil
- Then poove poove vaa thendral theda
- Enadhu vizhi vazhi mele
- Sandana Kaatre senthamizh oottre
- Ye paadal ondru raagam ondru
The song in Rettai Vaal Kuruvi is one of my most favourite songs "kannan vandhu paaduginraan":
Long Live S.Janaki.
T.P.Anand
Dubai, U.A.E.
5th April 2013
