Singer S Janaki, dubbed the ‘Nightingale of South’ retires after a public concert

S Janaki, who has recorded songs in 17 languages has ended her career with a public concert in Mysuru.

S Janaki, a four-time National Award-winning singer popular for her work in South India, ended her career after a public concert. On October 28, at the Manasaganothri Amphitheatre in Mysuru, S Janaki performed for an audience for the final time. She got a standing ovation, and the concert also made her son, Murali Krishna, quite emotional. The 79-year-old singer also told the Deccan Chronicle that she wanted to retire at the height of her powers. “I am happy with my career. I want to stop singing when I am doing well. This is also to make way for several young and new artistes,” she said.

It is said that S Janaki recorded almost 48,000 songs in her six-decade-long career. Sounds unbelievable? Well, she sang in 17 languages including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi and Malayalam.

She is probably one of the very few people who rejected the Padma Bhushan awards stating it had ‘come too late’. She had then told the media that considering her achievements, she deserves the highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna. She had said, “I should have been given the highest civilian award of Bharat Ratna if the government wanted to recognise my work. I am not interested in any other awards like the Padma awards.”

She has won four National Awards as a playback singer. Three of the songs were composed by maestro Ilaiyaraaja and one by M B Sreenivasan.