Vani Jairam

When she sang Humko mann ki shakti dena and Bole re papihara in Guddi, the entire country was enchanted with her fresh and magical voice. In Odisha, too, Vani Jairam was a household name when Odia film music was at its peak in ’70s and ’80s.

The singer with an evergreen voice visited Bhubaneswar on Wednesday to receive an award in memory of legendary Odia music composer Balakrushna Dash. The winner of three national awards and countless other major awards shared her memories of Odisha and more in a tête-à-tête with Namita Panda of The Telegraph.

Your songs such as Keun namo dhari, Aahe dayamaya biswabihari and many other major hits are popular even today in Odisha. How was the experience of singing for Odia films?

It was my good fortune that right after the two songs in Guddi, I won five major awards and became busy with singing offers overnight. After working with almost every great composer of Mumbai, I had also sung in South Indian and other regional films for 11 years. In Odisha, I was extremely well received by listeners. Prafulla Kar offered me many beautiful songs and so did Akshay Mohanty, Basudev Rath and many other Odia composers. They were all so well versed in the native flavours of music that I enjoyed working on those beautiful and melodious compositions.

 

How is the feeling of receiving an award in memory of Balakrushna Dash?

I am grateful to Odisha and the people here for the gesture. It is a matter of pride to be honoured with an award in such a highly respected composer’s name. He was a brilliant composer as well as a wonderful person. I found him to be very kind, affectionate and very pleasant by nature always.

Despite a very strong training in classical music, you chose to become a playback singer for films. Why is it so?

I was trained in Carnatic under Kadalur Srinivasa Iyengar, T.R. Balasubramanian and R.S. Mani and in Hindustani by Ustad Abul Rahamn Khan. But since childhood, I had been deeply fascinated by Hindi film music for its melody, beautiful lyrics and great voices in those times. It was God’s blessings that I got a chance to work with all the gems I had always revered. This is what I wanted to become — a playback singer and I am glad my dream came true.

Even after four decades of singing, your voice sounds as fresh as in your first song. What is the secret?

I must say that even young singers on stage during performances say that and I am thankful that my pitch has not changed over years. This is God’s grace upon me and in all humility I would like to thank my listeners for appreciating me even today.

What is your take on playback singing as well as reality shows in Hindi and regional music industries?

Playback music as well as singing in all regions includes some talented composers and singers now. Sometimes we get beautiful compositions in various languages. It is good that way. Reality shows, too, help young aspirants pay attention solely to music and not get wayward. It helps them know where to improve and also gives opportunities and exposure. But any fame from that should not get into one’s head. Humility, respect for elders and art which is divine are the essentials for a good artiste. Success or failure regarding fame does not matter. One must learn well and better oneself rather than competing with others.