‘She was the goddess of music to me’: KS Chithra's touching memories of S Janaki

I still remember the invaluable advice that Ilaiyaraaja sir gave me when I had just begun singing in Tamil. Before singing, he said, one must first absorb the situation and atmosphere of the song into one's mind. Only then can the appropriate emotions be conveyed through the performance.

As an example, Raja sir spoke about the song "Raasave Unna Nambi Intha Rosapoo Irukkuthunga..." from Mudhal Mariyadhai, composed by him and sung by Janaki Amma (S Janaki).

While teaching her the song, Raja sir apparently told her, "In the film, this song is sung by an innocent village girl. There is no need for vocal variations, elaborate sangatis, or any other technical embellishments. Just sing it as though you are an ordinary rural girl who has never learned music."

Then Raja sir told me, "Listen to how Janaki Amma has sung that song. Close your eyes and imagine an innocent village girl while you listen."

It was an extraordinary experience. As I listened, the image of a slightly timid young village woman appeared vividly in my mind, carried entirely by Janaki Amma's voice. Later, when I watched that scene in the film, I was amazed at how perfectly her voice blended with the character's personality. The image I had imagined in my mind was right there on the screen.

That is Janaki Amma. She possesses the rare ability to internalise the very soul of a song and transform it into a musical masterpiece in a way no one else can. Even today, the song "Kannu Thorakkanum Saami" from Mundhanai Mudichu remains a wonder to me. It is an intensely sensual song in which the heroine tries to seduce the hero.

Janaki Amma could not have watched the filmed sequence before recording the song. She would have sung it purely by imagining the situation described to her. To create the exact emotional mood of a scene seen only in one's imagination is an enormous challenge, and she embraced that challenge beautifully and succeeded beyond measure.

Janaki Amma truly is an empress when it comes to emotional expression. One realises this most clearly while singing for dubbed films.

I have had to record Malayalam or Tamil versions of several songs that Janaki Amma originally sang in Telugu or Tamil. It is virtually impossible to do complete justice to the emotional depth she brought to those original recordings.

I once sang the Tamil version of a Telugu song that Janaki Amma had made into a huge hit. At the beginning of the song, the hero playfully teases the heroine. During that part, the heroine has no lyrics to sing, only laughter. A laugh wrapped in shyness.

When I heard Janaki Amma's original version, I was completely overwhelmed. Through that laughter alone, she had conveyed the entire sensation. I knew I could never reproduce that effect in the same way, especially since I was still at the beginning of my career. I must admit I experienced a brief moment of self-doubt.

But avoiding the song was not an option. In the end, I somehow managed to complete the recording. Even today, however, I firmly believe that I could never do justice to Janaki Amma's incomparable rendition.

From my childhood onwards, Janaki Amma's voice has always been a part of my life. Songs like "Suryakanthi" and "Thaliritta Kinakkal", which I first heard on the radio, became etched in my heart at a very young age.

While I was still in school, the very first song I memorised and performed on stage was Janaki Amma's "Yamini Devi Yamini" from Chuvanna Chirakukal. A little later, in the very first music concert I participated in, I sang "Yadukula Rathidevan Evide" alongside Jayettan (Jayachandran). During my early stage performances with Dasettan (KJ Yesudas) too, I mostly sang Janaki Amma's duets, including songs like "Akale Akale Neelakasham."

The first time I met Janaki Amma in person was during a Navaratri season. I had accompanied Nandinichechi, the wife of Dasettan's manager Kunjunni, to Janaki Amma's home in Abhiramapuram. We had heard that she had arranged a traditional Bommai Golu display for Navaratri. But my real intention was to see the legendary singer whom I had admired for so long.

That very first meeting overwhelmed me with her warmth and affection. Sitting there in her home, I sang the song "Sarasiruhasana Priye" for her. It was an unforgettable meeting, and I returned home carrying several gifts she lovingly gave me.

I was also fortunate enough, on one occasion, to record a song live alongside Janaki Amma. It was a Telugu composition by Ilaiyaraaja.

The joy I experienced that day is impossible to describe. There beside me stood the singer I had worshipped since childhood. She never seemed to be "singing" in the ordinary sense. You could hardly even notice her lips moving. She would stand almost motionless, tightly clutching a handkerchief in her right hand. At times, it even felt as though that little handkerchief itself was controlling her entire rendition.

To me, Janaki Amma is truly the Goddess of Music. Every single time I spend even a little while with her and then have to bid her goodbye, I experience an overwhelming sense of loss. It is the same emotion a mother must feel when, however reluctantly, she leaves her child in someone else's care and walks away.

Even after finishing a phone conversation with her, a profound emptiness fills my heart. It feels as though we share a bond carried over from another lifetime.

(Republished from an article originally published in the May 2021 issue of Mathrubhumi Star & Style magazine.)