{"id":29530,"date":"2022-04-26T00:18:41","date_gmt":"2022-04-26T04:18:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=29530"},"modified":"2022-04-26T17:43:24","modified_gmt":"2022-04-26T21:43:24","slug":"southern-nightingale-s-janaki-and-the-story-of-singaara-velanae-deva-song-%e2%99%ab","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=29530","title":{"rendered":"Southern Nightingale S. Janaki and the Story of Her Popular \u266b Singaara Velanae Deva \u266b Song"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By<\/p>\n

D.B.S. Jeyaraj<\/strong><\/p>\n

( Versatile South Indian Playback singer S.Janaki Celebrates her 84th Birth Anniversary on April 23rd 2922. This article written six Years ago is re-posted here without changes to commemorate the popular artiste on this joyful day)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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S Janaki (b: April 23, 1938)<\/p><\/div>\n

S<\/strong>ishtla Sreeramamurthy Janaki popularly known as S. Janaki celebrates her 80th birthday on April 23rd 2018. The well known Indian singer of film songs who is praised as the \u201cnightingale of the South\u201d was born on April 23rd 1938 during the British colonial period at Pallapatla in Repalle. The Repalle town is located in the Guntur district of present day Aandhra Pradesh state.<\/p>\n

\"KSSJ042314\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Janaki hails from a Telugu Brahmin family. Her father Sishtla Sreeramamurthy was a teacher and native physician. In a splendid career spanning over fifty years Janaki has sung over 20,000 songs for films made in 16 different languages.<\/p>\n

The Languages are Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malyalam, Tulu, Konkani, Baduga, Hindi, Bengali, Oriya, Sanskrit, Urdu, English, Japanese, German and Sinhala.
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\nThe Southern nightingale has won four national awards and 31 state govt awards in India during her illustrious career. The 31 state award breakdown is 14 – Kerala, 10 – Andhra Pradesh and 07 – Tamil Nadu. Her songs “Sindhoora Poove” in “16 Vayadhinile” (Tamil), “Ettumanoorambalathil” in “Oppol” (Malayalam), “Vennello Godhaari Andham” in “Sithara” (Telugu) and “Inji Iduppazhaga…” in “Thevar Magan” (Tamil) fetched her the national award for best female playback singer four times.<\/p>\n

PADMABHUSHAN<\/strong><\/p>\n

Janaki had the gumption to decline a Padmabhushan award by the Indian Govt in 2013 saying it had come too late. “I refuse the Padma award… I have been singing for the last 55 years. I consider the recognition of my fans in various languages as the highest award,” she told reporters at Ottappalam near Palakkad at that time.”I have been singing for the last 55 years. I have sung a variety of songs in many languages. They all appreciated my songs. So what else I require than the recognition from the people,” she said.”I have no complaint towards the government. I don’t think the government has done anything wrong. But I have decided to refuse Padma award,” Janaki further said then.<\/p>\n

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S.Janaki-pic: The Hindu<\/p><\/div>\n

S. Janaki’s first break in Tamil films was when she got an offer from music director Salapathy Rao for the film “Vithiyin Vilaiyaattu”. However that film never saw the light of day. Hence her first song in a Tamil film was from “Mahathala Naattu Mary” (Mary from Magdalene).The film released on December 20th 1957 was produced by M.L. Pathi and directed by S. S. Rajan. The song which she sung together with PB Sreenivas in the film was was \u201cKannukku Nerae, Minnidum Thaarai\u201d. The music composer was Rengasamy Parthasarathy who later migrated to the USA and ran a successful business in music records and cassettes.<\/p>\n

The solo which catapulted Janaki to fame overnight was in the film \u201cKonjum Salangai\u201d released in January1962. Although she had no formal training in carnatic or Hindustani music Janaki rendered the classical\u201dSingara Velanae Deva\u201dsong magnificiently.She reached the upper octaves admirably for the soulful song based on the carnatic raga Abheri. In Hindustani music the raga Bhimpalasi is said to resemble Abheri closely.<\/p>\n

Though Janaki has sung thousands of songs and won numerous awards , it is \u201cSingara Velane Deva\u201d sung more than five decades ago that remains as high watermark of her brilliant career. It remains a perennial favourite tugging at the heartstrings of young and old transcending time and age boundaries. Even aspiring young singers of the current modern age often turn to this song as the ultimate test of singing talent and prowess.<\/p>\n

SAMBANDHAMOORTHY AACHARIYAR<\/strong><\/p>\n

The evolution of that song has a very unique and interesting background. Today in this post-AR Rahman era film song tracks are often recorded separately with singers and musicians and then synthesised into a single whole. This practice however was unheard of in the old days where songs were recorded in studios with singers and orchestra performing together. Against that backdrop\u201d Singara Velanae Deva\u201dwas a path breaking venture where the singing of Janaki and Naadaswaram of Kaarrukurich Arunasalam were recorded separately and later blended.It is this interesting story behind the \u201cSingara Velanae Deva\u201d song from \u201cKonjum Salangai\u201d film that I wish to relate briefly here in honour of the 76th birthday of Janaki the Southern nightingale.<\/p>\n

A connoisseur of Carnatic music and devotee of devotional literature in Tamil -TA Sambanthamoorthy Aachaariyar \u2013had ventured on a project close to his heart over sixty years ago. The compositions with proper swara notations was published in book form.It is said that the respected stage and screen actor SV Sahasranamam financed the project.<\/p>\n

Sambanthamoorthy Aachariyar composed tuneful melodies for devotional Thevarams written by the sages Thirunaavukkarasar(Appar), Thirugnaanasambanthar and Sundharamoorthy Naayanaar several centuries ago.Sambanthamoorthy Aachariyar devised proper swara notations also for his compositions and tested them out in association with the renowned Naadhaswara vidwaan Kaarukurichi Arunaasalam.\u201dKaarukurichiyaar\u201das he was known played out the \u201cThevaaram songs\u201don his instrument to Sambanthamoorthy Aachariyar\u2019s satisfaction.<\/p>\n