- Veteran singer S Janaki died at 88 due to respiratory problems and was cremated with state honours
- Shweta Mohan missed Janaki's funeral due to a concert in London and explained her absence on Instagram
- Shweta Mohan shared a heartfelt tribute, calling S Janaki the best singer the world has seen
Veteran singer S Janaki died at 88 on Saturday due to respiratory problems. She was cremated with full state honours at her farmhouse in Kaniyanahundi on Sunday evening. Acclaimed singer Shweta Mohan, who held S Janaki in high regard, calling her songs and singing a 'textbook' to refer to, was subjected to trolling after she could not attend the veteran singer's funeral. Shweta Mohan has now taken to Instagram to share a post explaining that she was in London for a concert. The video shared also shows Shweta Mohan breaking down on stage.
The Post
Shweta Mohan wrote, "So many people are asking me why they didn't see me at Janaki Amma's funeral... Because I was part of Raja sir's concert in London and we became a fortunate group of people who paid musical homage to her just hours after she left us."
She continued, "I don't think I need to explain to the world how difficult it felt to not be able to go see her one last time and take her blessings. To sing through numbness and try to complete a given assignment of singing songs that were her classics, the reality sinking in more and more with every line being sung."
The singer added, "In a time when everything needs to be explained explicitly to be understood and 'appreciated' (not seeking appreciation here), I wanted to tell all who have asked me with sincerity why I couldn't go, that I did see Amma on a video call from her ambulance and sought her blessings."
"I believe it is she who made that possible through our friend Ramu garu. Thank you Ramu garu. I know I held a special place in her heart and her place in my heart will always remain intact. And for all who questioned me with 'nakkal', please know it's a very difficult time emotionally. So, please don't hurt me further," concluded Shweta Mohan.
Shweta Mohan's Post After S Janaki's death
Shweta Mohan had expressed her deepest respect and admiration for S Janaki as she shared a long post after the news of the veteran singer's death.
Shweta Mohan shared a series of pictures with S Janaki, and wrote, "My Queen Janakiamma is no more... I have lost a piece of my heart and a portion of my musical soul. I loved her deeply. Every day of my musical journey has her in it. Her songs and her singing have been a 'textbook' I am still learning from. I rate her as the best singer this world has ever seen. I repeat - the Best Singer this world has ever seen... There is nothing she hasn't done with her vocals: the power, the range, the emotion, the style, the breath control, the perfection, the versatility, the nativity of diction in every language - she is an unparalleled genius who was born to sing and to rule our hearts."
"Even personality-wise, I have admired her deeply - the way she is a mother to everyone around her. She has always been genuine and pure, loving and mature, calm and strong-willed, approachable and down-to-earth, yet still casually the absolute queen that she is," added Shweta Mohan.
Have a look at the full post here:
About Shweta Mohan
A highly acclaimed Indian playback singer, Shweta Mohan's work spans Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi films. She is the daughter of veteran singer Sujatha Mohan and has won several accolades for her melodious songs.
Some of her most notable songs across South Indian cinema include Nee Paartha Vizhigal from 3 (2012), Innum Konjam Naeram from Maryan (2013), and Maya Nadhi from Kabali (2016) in Tamil; Manjupeyyum from Kerala Cafe (2009), Oonjalin Aadi from Evidam Swargamanu (2009), and Shalabhamay from Bangalore Days (2014) in Malayalam; and Mastaaru Mastaaru from Sir (2022) and Ammadu Let's Do Kummudu from Khaidi No. 150 (2017) in Telugu.
About S Janaki
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.
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.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
