Tribute: Mesmerising voice leaves us with memories

I remember so well the very first song I ever heard of her - Poojalu Seya song from the 1975 Vanisree starrer "Pooja" in a temple. The memory is so vivid in my mind. I was with my grandmother, a proficient violinist in Carnatic music and a water colorist. It was summer, so no school. The sky was a bluish-grey, and there was a gentle breeze blowing when the loudspeakers in the temple suddenly cackled and out came the sonorous song sung by Vani Jayaram.

My grandmother and I were about to step out of the temple, but almost by tacit agreement, we stopped, stood aside, and heard the song in complete silence. There were no words. I remember feeling utterly tranquil and transported to a different realm by the beauty of her voice. From then on, I became her ardent follower. For years, I have sung that song with reverence and continue to sing it even today, of course singing along with other more popular of her gems that spanned the last four decades. But this song remained my utter favorite. Incidentally, when I met my husband Ramakanth during the few weeks of our courtship, I sang this song. So, this song has special significance. What a coincidence that Viswanath's film "Sankarabharanam" was the one that catapulted her to ultimate fame for the Telugu audience. From then on, she was his standard favorite. And yet she was a national treasure.

How can one describe a person of such talent, at the same time, such humility, such stark simplicity? A singer picked up none less than Pandit Ravi Shanker for the Gulzar's film "Meera."

At the same time, her popular numbers like 'Bole re Bapi' from the film "Guddi" or the one from the Telugu film - Gharshana, among others, or several other beautifully sung songs in many languages, can ever be forgotten. The masterpiece of all is the contemplative and deeply metaphorical 'Meghama Dehama' sung by her for the Chiranjeevi-Suhasini starrer "Manchu Pallaki," which is so stellar that it brings tears when you hear it even today. We will miss her deeply!

(The writer is a passionate practitioner of art and agriculture #uvlananda)