Legendary singer S. Janaki was cremated with state honours at a farmhouse in Kaniyanahundi near Mysuru on Sunday evening. Her granddaughter Apsara Vydyula performed the last rites as per Telugu Brahmin traditions in the presence of close relatives, people’s representatives, friends, and a large number of admirers and the general public.
Janaki’s mortal remains were brought in a vehicle with police escort to the farmhouse in H.D. Kote taluk of Mysuru district from Maharaja’s College grounds, where it was kept for public viewing. The last rites were held at the farmhouse belonging to Janaki’s admirer and caretaker Naveen as per the singer’s wishes. Janaki’s late husband Ramprasad was from Mysuru and the singer had chosen to make Mysuru her home in the last few years.
Ms. Apsara thanked the government for the state honours and public homage. On Janaki, Ms. Apsara said her grandmother was one of a kind with remarkable talent, and was special for the whole world. She remembered her grandmother as kind, generous, and full of love and laughter with a child-like spirit. The cremation was attended by Urban Development Minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah, MLAs T.S. Srivatsa and Anil Chikkamadu, Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru Lakshmikant Reddy, and several personalities from the Kannada film industry.
Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said he would discuss with the film industry how to memorialise Janaki in Mysuru for posterity. He described her as a nightingale of Indian cinema who won four national awards and 33 state awards. Music director and lyricist Hamsalekha and chairperson of Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce Jaimala pitched for ways to memorialise the legacy of Janaki in Mysuru, including setting up a meditation centre and music school at the farm in Kaniyanahundi and a study centre on music at the University of Mysore.
Extensive arrangements had been made at the farmhouse with barricades erected from the approach road to the place of cremation. Adequate police personnel had been deployed to maintain security at the venue. The singer’s family had chosen Mysuru as the place of cremation, despite the government offering to airlift the mortal remains to Hyderabad or Chennai.
