Another weekend day, and one more legendary singer from Indian cinema has passed away. When S Janaki's granddaughter announced the news of the musician's death earlier this Saturday, it came as a major jolt to the system. The feeling is not too dissimilar from the shock at hearing the news of Asha Bhosle's passing on April 12, Sunday.

Janaki's career spanned over six decades and 40,000 songs. She decided to call it quits as a playback singer in 2016 after singing a track in the Malayalam film Pathu Kalpanakal. Back then, Janaki explained her decision to walk away from playback singing in an exclusive conversation with TNIE.

Speaking to TNIE's S Subhakeerthana, S Janaki said, "I ventured into playback singing when I was quite young. I worked hard and I feel it’s time to retire. It wasn’t a conscious decision, though I have been contemplating that I need to quit for a while. It just happened at the right time."

Janaki also had a more personal reason to retire at the time. Saying that the break was much-needed for her, the singer added, "Now that I am home, I am cooking for myself (smiles). Previously, I didn’t have time to do that. Also, I want to spend more time with my fans, seeing them and talking to them."

The irony of this is the fact that a singer, whose iconic tracks would often blare through radios, mobile phones and television sets in households in India, herself lacked time to do what she loved to do, besides singing.

In her career, Janaki has worked with many legendary composers and singers, including Ilaiyaraaja, SP Balasubrahmanyam, Mohammed Rafi, MS Viswanathan, AR Rahman, Bismillah Khan, and Johnson Master, among others. She has also collaborated with younger composers such as Anirudh. "I count myself extremely lucky. I am cordial to everyone. So, I strike a chord with both young talents and established artistes," the singer told TNIE back in the day.