P. Jayachandran: An ever-youthful voice that enchanted generations

An undated picture of legendary playback singer P. Jayachandran who handed away on the age of 80 on January 9, 2025.
| Photograph Credit score: PTI

Indian music has misplaced certainly one of its best voices.

A voice that introduced out the expression of a tune the best way maybe no one else may. A voice that would make its presence felt regardless of being a up to date of a phenomenon referred to as Okay.J. Yesudas. There can’t be a problem more durable than that in music.

P. Jayachandran, who died at a non-public hospital in Thrissur on Thursday (January 9, 2025), was a gifted singer who regaled generations along with his songs in Malayalam and Tamil. His songs will proceed to regale generations to return.

He had made a sudden influence along with his tune Manjalayail mungithorthi for the 1966 movie Kalithozhan. It was composed by G. Devarajan, one of many biggest music administrators in Indian cinema whose genius, nonetheless, was restricted solely to Malayalam cinema.

Devarajan swore by Yesudas, however he nonetheless gave Jayachandran a few of his best tunes, reminiscent of Thottene njaan mananssu kondu (Kottaram Vilkanundu), Ishta praneswari (Chukku), Malayala bhasha than (Prethangalude Thazhvara), Maanathu kannikal (Madhavikutty) Mallika baanan thante (Achani) and Ramzanile chandrikayo (Alibabayum 41 Kallanmarum).

The maestro additionally gave him an extremely candy mild tune – Onnini sruthi thaazhthi paaduka poonkuyile. It’s a mild tune written by ONV Kurup. It was the late poet’s lullaby for his spouse. And it discovered the proper voice in Jayachandran. This author as soon as had the privilege to pay attention him to sing that tune from his resort room in Kozhikode: the picture continues to be contemporary in reminiscence, him singing mendacity on his mattress.

Jayachandran was additionally the singer who rendered the sweetest lullaby a person has sung for his lover on silver display screen – Rajeeva nayane neeyurangoo (Chandrakantham). That was tuned by M.S. Viswanathan, who was the composer of a few of Jayachandran’s greatest songs, reminiscent of Swarnagopura narthakee shilplam, Karpoora deepathin kaanthiyil (each Divyadarsanam) and Suprabhatham (Panitheeratha Veedu).

Lots of these songs had been written by Sreekumaran Thampi, who as soon as neatly summed up Jayachandran’s profession for The Hindu: “A banyan tree doesn’t permit one other one to flourish underneath it, however Jayachandran proved that it was attainable.”

Thampi can also be the lyricist of some the opposite huge hits of Jayachandran, like Sougandhikangale vidaruvin (Pathira Suryan), Chandathil kadanjeduthoru. (Shasthram Jayichu Manushyan Thottu, Sandhyakkenthinu sindooram (Maya) and Nin maniyarayile (CID Nazir), Poorendumukhiyodambalathil (Kurukshethram), Anuraga ganam pole (Udyogastha), Njanitha thirichethi (Asuravithu), Suprabhatham (Panitheeratha Veedu), Raagam sreeraagam (Bandhanam) and Ekanthapathikan njaan (Ummachu).

Jayachandran has additionally to his credit score some huge hits in Tamil. Rasathi unna (Vaidehi Kathirunthal), Enmel vizhuntha (Could Matham) and Oru daivam thantha (Kannathil Muthamittal).

He was additionally the singer of the preferred devotional album in Malayalam Pushpanjali, composed by P.Okay. Kesavan Namboodiri. Its songs reminiscent of Ambadi thannilorunni, Vadakkunnathanu and Vighneswara had many admirers, together with Sivaji Ganesan. Like romance, devotion too shone via his voice.

One of many outstanding issues about Jayachandran is that age barely affected his voice. He managed to sound like a younger man in love for a lot of his life.

After being away from the limelight for some time, he had made a shocking comeback with the tune Prayam nammil for the 1999 movie Niram, a campus love story directed by Kamal. And the peppy quantity was on the spot chart-topper.

He gave his greatest to each tune that got here his approach. He made a tune his personal. Simply take heed to his rendition of Saugandhikangale vidaruvin, a superb composition by V. Dakshinamoorthy.

Songs like that present how troublesome a singer he’s to mimic. You wouldn’t discover too many clones of Jayachandran.

It’s unusual that Jayachandran’s tune ended a day after the State College Arts Pageant ended at Thiruvananthapuram. It was on the second version of the competition, held right here in 1958, that he made his first mark in music. He was positioned second in Mild Music, behind Yesudas. The next yr, he bagged the primary prize.

His music is priceless.