Thrissur: Jayachandran used to say he always felt guilty about not learning classical music. After completing his BSc, Jayachandran moved to Chennai, then known as Madras, on his mother's insistence. His uncle arranged a job for him at Parry Chemicals. At that time, his brother Sudhakaran was also in Madras. Sudhakaran was a close friend of Yesudas. Back then, Sudhakaran used to take Yesudas to recording sessions on his bike. Jayachandran recalls that the three of them once went to watch the movie Taj Mahal on a single bike.

After returning to the room, Yesudas sang, and Jayachandran kept rhythm. It was Yesudas who took Jayachandran to the recording session of the movie Kattupookkal and introduced him to Devarajan Master.

During a music concert in Madras, Jayachandran sang Chotta Muthal Chudala Vare. Sitting in the front row were Shobhana Parameswaran Nair, A. Vincent and R.S. Prabhu. After the concert, Parameswaran Nair inquired about Jayachandran and invited him to sing in the movie Kunjali Marakkar.

Jayachandran was very nervous. Though he went for the recording, he couldn’t sing and had to return. He sang the next day. Later, he became associated with Devarajan Master. Despite not having formal training in classical music, Master encouraged him to sing. After recording Tharunyam Thannude Thamarappoovanathil in the movie Kalithozhan, Jayachandran recorded Manjalayil Mungithorthi. It is said that this song was initially intended for Yesudas.

Master instructed him to practice and sing to improve his skills. He sang the song three times, and by the end, he developed a deep affection for it. When director Krishnan Nair praised the song, Jayachandran felt a tinge of sadness. However, Nair said that Master had decided beforehand that Jayachandran would sing it.

When Jayachandran began frequenting recordings, complaints arose at Parry Chemicals that he would sing during office hours. Eventually, he resigned from his job. Though he later received training under legendary carnatic musician M Balamuralikrishna, he didn’t complete it.

Once, at the home of Kesavan Namboothiri, a renowned musician at AIR, someone asked Jayachandran if he had any regrets. He replied, “I do feel guilty about not learning classical music, but I have greater joys. I got to see, hear, and enjoy all the legends of my time.”

Kesavan Namboothiri, who was present, added, “Guru Balamuralikrishna used to make Jayachandran sing. Once, after a song, he told Jayachandran, ‘Your voice is more suited for songs than for concerts. It’s a voice for dreamers.’ After that, Jayachandran never pursued that path again!”