Vani Jairam

Vani Jairam was an Indian playback singer and composer who was known for her versatility and adaptability to any difficult composition. She sang in 19 different Indian languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Gujarati, and Bengali. She was fondly referred to as the "Meera of modern India" and was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2023. She started her music training at the age of 4 under the guidance of her mother and later learned from various eminent teachers such as Pandit Santosh Kumar Basu, Professor A T Kannan, and Professor Chinmoy Lahiri. She also received guidance from Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan and his son Ustad Munavvar Ali Khan in Indian classical music. She earned an arts degree from DAV College, Jalandhar and a Master's degree and Ph.D. from Rabindra Bharati University. Her thesis was titled "Nazrulgeeti — Roop O Rashanabhuti". She began her professional career in 1961 by undertaking singing and composing assignments at All India Radio's Jalandhar station. She made her debut as a playback singer in 1970 with the film Taarana. She composed and sang for many films, TV serials, and albums in various languages and genres. She collaborated with many famous poets and lyricists such as Gulzar, Javed Akhtar, Nida Fazli, and Kaifi Azmi. She also sang many songs of Kazi Nazrul Islam, the national poet of Bangladesh. She received many awards and honors for her contribution to music, such as the National Film Awards for Best Female Playback Singer three times, the Sahitya Akademi Award, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, and the Ghalib Academy Award. She also supported many philanthropic causes such as CRY, Save the Children, and ALMA. She married Jairam, a businessman, in 1969 and lived in Chennai. She died of natural causes on 4 February 2023 at the age of 77. She was mourned by her fans and the music fraternity.