S Janaki's Granddaughter Broke a Funeral Tradition! Why?

S Janaki, 88, was cremated with full state honours at a Mysuru farmhouse on Sunday, as thousands of fans and artists paid tribute.

12 July 2026 3 days ago 2 min read
M
Media Wing (LetsxOtt)
Journalist
12 July 2026 · 3 days ago
2 min read
S Janaki's Granddaughter Broke a Funeral Tradition! Why?
Source: LetsXott
Legendary playback singer S. Janaki was cremated with full state honours on Sunday evening at a farmhouse in Kaniyanahundi village, about 25 kilometres from Mysuru city.She was 88. Thousands of fans, actors and musicians had gathered earlier in the day at Maharaja's College Grounds, where her body lay for public viewing before it was taken in a flower decked vehicle to the farmhouse.A police team gave her a gun salute as the national anthem played.Her granddaughter,Apsara Vydyula, lit the funeral pyre,breaking a tradition that had long been reserved for men in the family.

   Janaki passed away at Apollo BGS Hospitals in Mysuru on Saturday evening after suffering a cardiac arrest, following complaints of fever and drowsiness that had brought her to the hospital earlier that day.Her condition had worsened through low blood pressure and sepsis,and doctors couldn't revive her after a third episode of cardiac arrest.Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had ordered that she be honoured with a full state funeral, and Minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah oversaw arrangements at both venues,and extensive barricades ran the length of the approach road right up to the cremation site to manage the crowds.

    Born in Pallapatla,Andhra Pradesh, in 1938,Janaki began her playback career at 19 with the Tamil film Vidhiyin Vilayattu.She went on to record more than 48,000 songs across nearly 20 languages over a career spanning six decades,with her Kannada work forming the bulk of her repertoire.It's strange how a voice that filled cinema halls for fifty years ends up quiet in a small farmhouse outside Mysuru.Prime Minister Narendra Modi called her death an irreparable loss to music and culture,and tributes poured in from across the film industry.She had once said publicly that she felt she deserved the Bharat Ratna for her contribution to Indian music.

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