Vani Jairam, a veteran playback singer who worked for over five decades and sang in more than a dozen languages, passed away on Saturday at her Chennai home. She was 78 years old. Jairam started her singing career in Bollywood and got her first break in the 1971 Hindi film “Guddi,” which was directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. She was known for her wide range of vocals and her ability to adapt to any difficult composition. Jaya Bachchan’s lead role in the song “Bole Re Papihara” propelled the singer to fame.
Police say that Jairam, who lived alone, was found dead with bruises on her forehead. As per the claims the singer’s housekeeper showed up for work, as usual, this morning, but when she didn’t hear back, she called the singer’s sister Uma.
After using a set of duplicate keys to enter the house, Uma and Malarkodi discovered the singer unconscious in her bedroom with bruises on her forehead. She was dead when the police arrived. The body of the deceased has been transported to the Kilpauk Government Hospital.
The police have said that a detailed investigation of the matter is underway. Much recently in advance of Republic Day this year, the singer received India’s third-highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan.
Jairam’s career began in 1971 when he was born in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, to a family of classically trained musicians. She recorded more than a thousand songs and contributed her voice to the soundtracks of more than a thousand Indian films. In addition, the late singer performed solo concerts in India and other countries and recorded thousands of devotionals and private records.
Moreover, she has also received State Government awards from Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Gujarat, as well as three National Film Awards for Best Female Playback Singer. Apart from this she has performed in a variety of languages, including Kannada, Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Haryanvi, Assamese, Tulu, and Bengali, among others, and has also collaborated with numerous well-known composers, including MS Vishwanathan, KV Mahadevan, Chakravarthy, Sathyam, and Ilayaraja.
