- Playback singer S Janaki was cremated with state honours in Mysuru
- Her granddaughter, Apsara Vydyula, performed the last rites
- Janaki recorded over 48,000 songs in 20 Indian languages, mainly Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam
Legendary playback singer S Janaki was cremated with full state honours at her farmhouse in Kaniyanahundi on Sunday evening.
The singer died at the age of 88 in a private hospital on Saturday evening following respiratory problems. As announced by Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, a police contingent offered a gun salute as the national anthem was played.
Janaki's granddaughter, Apsara Vydyula, performed the last rites by lighting her grandmother's funeral pyre as Vedic hymns were chanted.
Carrying the earthen pot, she walked around the burning pyre as part of the rituals.
Breaking with tradition, which has long been reserved for men, Apsara completed the final rites.
Apsara Vydyula is the daughter of Murali Krishna, Janaki's son, who died on January 22 this year.
Before being taken to Kaniyanahundi, Janaki's mortal remains were kept at Maharaja's College Grounds for public homage. Several actors, actresses, and playback singers from the Kannada and South Indian film industries, along with thousands of fans, paid their final respects.
Mysuru district in-charge minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah was also present on behalf of the Karnataka government to pay tribute to the late singer.
Expressing his condolences, Shivakumar told reporters in Bengaluru that the government would explore ways to preserve Janaki's legacy. He described her as one of India's greatest musical icons.
"One of India's most iconic personalities, the legendary playback singer known as the 'Gana Kogile' (Nightingale of Song), Janaki, is no longer with us. She served the film industry in several languages for nearly 50 years," Shivakumar said.
Janaki was born on April 23, 1938, in Pallapatla in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur district. She later made Mysuru her home and, in keeping with her wishes, her last rites were performed in the royal city.
Known for her versatility, Janaki recorded more than 48,000 songs in multiple languages, mainly Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. During a career spanning over six decades, she sang for films, albums, television and radio in around 20 Indian languages, including Hindi, Odia, Tulu, Urdu, Punjabi and Bengali.
Fondly known as "Janaki Amma" by her disciples and admirers, she was widely celebrated as the 'Gana Kogile'. She began her singing career at the age of 19 with the Tamil film Vidhiyin Vilayattu (1957). Although she was immensely popular across South Indian languages, she is believed to have recorded the highest number of songs in Kannada. Her duets with legends such as P B Srinivas, S P Balasubrahmanyam and Dr Rajkumar remain evergreen favourites.
Janaki also sang in English, Japanese, German, and Sinhala. She won four National Film Awards and 33 state film awards. She was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Mysore, the Kalaimamani Award by the Tamil Nadu government, and the Rajyotsava Prashasti by the Karnataka government.
In 2013, she declined the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian honour, saying it had come too late.
Janaki had also said that she believed she deserved the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, for her contribution to music.
