The passing of legendary playback singer S Janaki on July 11 at the age of 88 has brought renewed attention to one of the defining moments of her illustrious career, her decision to decline the Padma Bhushan in 2013, saying that the honour had come far too late in her life.
Fondly remembered as the "Nightingale of South India", Janaki's extraordinary career spanned more than six decades, during which she recorded over 48,000 songs in more than 20 languages and became one of Indian cinema's most celebrated voices. Even after her retirement from playback singing in 2016, her songs continued to resonate across generations, making her passing an irreplaceable loss to the world of music.
When the Padma awards were announced on the eve of Republic Day in 2013, Janaki, then 75, politely declined the Padma Bhushan, stating that while she had no grievance against the government, the recognition had arrived much later than it should have. "I refuse the Padma award. I have been singing for the last 55 years. I consider the recognition of my fans in various languages as the highest award," she had told reporters, as per PTI.
Emphasising that the affection of listeners mattered more than any official honour, she had said, "I have sung a variety of songs in many languages. They all appreciated my songs. Even you Malayalees often say that my pronunciation is correct. So what else do I require than the recognition from the people?"
Clarifying that her decision was not a protest against the Centre, Janaki added, "I have no complaint towards the government. I don't think the government has done anything wrong. But I have decided to refuse the Padma award." Her son, Murali Krishna, had echoed her sentiment, saying the recognition had come "too late" in her remarkable career. He had also revealed that the family had not been informed in advance about the honour and learnt about it from others.
At the time, Janaki was already a four-time National Award winner and had received numerous state honours. Yet, she maintained that the unwavering love of audiences across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi and several other languages remained her greatest achievement.
Thirteen years later, following her demise, Janaki's words have gained renewed significance. Tributes from across the Indian film fraternity poured in, with actors, filmmakers, musicians and political leaders remembering not just her unparalleled voice, but also her humility and unwavering conviction.