Hyderabad a cradle for vani’s mesmerising melodies

HYDERABAD: Much before she became a revered singer, Vani Jairam was a bank employee. State Bank of India, Hyderabad, served as perfect launch pad — in late ’60s — for Vani and her illustrious singing career that spanned over 50 years and brought her laurels across India. It was in Hyderabad, Vani first showed glimpses of her singing prowess and innate talent. After shifting to Mumbai (then Bombay) where she underwent training in classical music, she never looked back. Vani, who passed away in her Chennai flat on February 4 at the age of 77, was no ordinary singer and former colleagues at SBI vouch for this singing genius. She would make her colleagues listen to Lata Mangeshkar’s melodies. “Before her career in films took off, Vani madam used to sing at the bank’s events. Whether it was Aaja re pardesi from Madhumati (1958) or O sajana… barkha bahar aayi from Parakh (1960), we were all awestruck by her dulcet voice as it was no different from Lataji’s,” recalls former colleague S Vijayakrishnan. Vani was transferred from SBI, Madras (now Chennai), to the Hyderabad local head office in 1967. On a farewell party of one of the officers, Vani showcased her repertoire of songs. “She would listen to old songs on Radio Ceylon, sing them to us and ask us to point out if there were any flaws. If none of us said anything, she would sing again and goad us to listen to her,” says Krishnan, now a senior Doordarshan presenter. M Dharma Rajan, who worked with Vani, has fond memories of her. “She was born in a family of classically trained musicians and later married into a family which supported music. Her husband TS Jayaraman was a student of sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar,” he recalls. He says Vani would proudly tell them during lunch breaks that legendary Carnatic singer MS Subbulakshmi was her inspiration, who later proclaimed Vani as her true heir. “No wonder, the versatile singer’s grace and persona shone through her voice, diction, range and rendition,” he affirms. After seeking a transfer to Mumbai after her marriage in 1969, Jayaraman took her to meet Ustad Abdul Rehman Khan. Vani soon resigned from her job and took lessons in Hindustani classical music. Bole re papihara song from Guddi (1971) was her first song, which remained fresh to this day. It was national integration of sorts when Vani, a Tamilian by birth, rendered her first song for a Hindi film, Guddi, helmed by a Bengali director, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, for which a Maharashtrian composer, Vasant Desai, scored music. For another ex-colleague S Murugesan, Vani will always be Kalaivani, her original name. “She was humble and soft-spoken which reflected in her sweet, soothing and soulful songs. Though she spoke less, her voice was her asset,” he says. The sensational voice of the legendary singer may have fallen silent. But, as Vani once said, “If I had a chance I would love to be reborn as Vani Jairam, the singer,” the chanteuse had never envisaged a life beyond songs and music.