Vani Jairam

Vani Jairam
Vani in 2014
Born
Kalaivani

(1945-11-30)30 November 1945
Vellore, Madras Presidency, British India
(now Tamil Nadu, India)
Died4 February 2023(2023-02-04) (aged 77)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India[1]
Other namesSouth Indian Meera
Alma materQueen Mary's College, Chennai
OccupationPlayback singer
Spouse
Jairam
​
​
(m. 1969; died 2018)​
Parents
  • Duraisamy Iyer
  • Padmavathi
AwardsPadma Bhushan (2023)

National film award for best female playback singer

Filmfare awards
Websitevanijairam.com

Vani Jairam (born Kalaivani; 30 November 1945 – 4 February 2023) was an Indian playback singer in Indian cinema.[2][3] She is fondly referred to as the "Meera of modern India"[4][5] Vani's career started in 1971 and has spanned over five decades. She did playback for over one thousand Indian movies recording over 20,000 songs. In addition, she recorded thousands of devotionals and private albums and also participated in numerous solo concerts in India and abroad.[6][7]

Renowned for her vocal range and easy adaptability to any difficult composition, Vani has often been the choice for several composers across India from the 1970s until the late 1990s. She has sung in several Indian languages (19 languages excluding Sanskrit), such as Kannada, Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia,[8] Gujarati, Haryanvi, Assamese, Tulu, Kashmiri, Bhojpuri, Marwari, Urdu, Konkani, Punjabi and Bengali languages.[9][10]

Vani is the youngest artist to be awarded the "Sangeet Peet Samman". She won the National Film Awards for Best Female Playback Singer three times and also has won State Government awards from the states of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat.[9] In 2012, she was honored with the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award – South for her achievements in South Indian film music.[11] In July 2017 she was honored with the Best Female Singer at the NAFA 2017 event at New York City.[12]

She was well versed in various forms of music, including Carnatic, Hindustani, thumri, ghazal and bhajan. Apart from singing, she was also a songwriter, composer and painter.[13]

  1. ^ Veteran singer Vani Jayaram passes away
  2. ^ "Veteran singer Vani Jayaram dies". www.thehindubusinessline.com. 4 February 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  3. ^ Vanakkam Tamizha with Indian singer Vani Jairam | Best Moments | 18 May 2022 | Sun TV, retrieved 23 March 2023
  4. ^ "'Meera of Modern India': A velvet voice became silent forever". Cityspidey.com. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  5. ^ "Vani jayaram". Swaramaadhuri. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  6. ^ "Lending 'Vani' to patriotism". The Hindu. 12 June 2006. Archived from the original on 23 November 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  7. ^ "Padma Bhushan Awardee and Legendary Singer Vani Jayaram Passes Away". Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  8. ^ "Vani Jairam Odia Songs". Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  9. ^ a b "Sweet music for the ears". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 5 December 2004. Archived from the original on 10 December 2004.
  10. ^ "Vani Jayaram: A distinct voice that suited all kinds of songs". The Times of India. 5 February 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  11. ^ "Filmfare Awards (South): The complete list of Winners". ibnlive.in.com. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015.
  12. ^ "Best Female Singer Award by NAFA in 2017". International Business Times. 30 January 2017. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  13. ^ Vanakkam Tamizha with Indian singer Vani Jairam | 18 May 2022 | SunTV, retrieved 23 March 2023