NEE DAYA RAADA - ABHISHEK RAGHURAM

PENN ONRU KANDEN - PADITHAL MATTUM PODHUMA

KALYANAM ENNAI MUDIKKA - METTI

Saravanan writes:

In an arena where mere survival demands a Herculean effort, to shrug off a promising career nonchalantly, and to forgo a future of fame and fortune without even a tinge of regret is simply unimaginable. Jency did just that. She bid a cheerful adieu to tfm and settled to a contended life of marital bliss, raising two children over the years, while working as a music teacher in a small Government school in an obscure Kerala hamlet.

In a career that lasted a mere 4-5 years, the number of chart-toppers that Jency sang is something remarkable. Even while retaining S.Janaki as his mainstay, IR was experimenting with various young singers in those years- Sasirekha, Shailaja, Sujatha and Uma Ramanan, to name a few. Jency was among his pet protégés. And like a wishful windfall, many of IR’s exquisite compositions came her way.

A brief look at Jency’s songs:

1978:

1. vaanathu poongkiLi- thiripurasundari-with SJ- IR
2. adipeNNE- muLLum malarum- IR
3. alankara ponoonjalE - sonnathu nee thaana-with MV- IR (only humming by Jency)
4. en uyir nee thaanE- priya-with KJY- IR
5. aada chonnarE- vattathukkuL sathuram- IR

1979:

6. thamthana namthana- pudhiya vaarppugaL-with B Vasantha- IR
7. idhayam pOguthE- pudhiya vaarppugaL- IR
8. thOttam koNda rasavE- pagalil Or iravu-with IR- IR
9. mayilE mayilE- kadavuL amaitha mEdai-with SPB-IR
10. geetha sangeetha- anbE sangeetha-with JC- IR
11. iru paRavaigaL - niRam maaRaatha pookaL- IR
12. aayiram malargaLE- niRam maaRatha pookaL-with MV& SPS- IR
13. gnyaan gnyaan paadanam- poonthaLir- IR
14. hey masthana- azhagE unnai aaradhikkiREn-with SPB,VJ,JC- IR
15. akka oru rajaathi- mugathil mugam paarkalaam-with JC- IR

1980:

16. meen kodi thEril- karumbuvil- IR
17. deiveega raagam- ullasa paRavaigaL- IR
18. theertha karaithanilE- thaippongal- IR
19. en vaanilE - johny- IR
20. naan unnai thirumba thirumba- ellaam un kairasi-IR
21. kaathaadu aasai koothaaduthu- karadi-with MC Balu- GA?

1981:

22. vaadi en kappakkizhangE- alaigaL Oivathillai-with GA,IR- IR
23. kaadhal Oviyam- alaigaL Oivathillai - with IR- IR
24. poo malarndhida -tik tik tik- with KJY- IR
25. paniyum naanE malarum neeyE - panimalar- with SPB- SG

1982:

26. en gaanam indRu arangERum- eera vizhi kaaviyangaL-with IR- IR
27. kalyaNam ennai mudikka - metti-with Rajesh,Radhika- IR
28. poothu nikkuthu kaadu- echchil iravugaL- with MV- IR
29. aaththOram kaathaada - engEyO kEtta kural- IR

There is a song 'poochoodi pottum vechu' from the unreleased film ponni, MD-GA.

Much has been said about Jency’s voice, and some more, about her pronunciation. But it is an undisputable fact that many of her songs were (or for that matter, still are) oft-listened favourites. And it is a fact too that she was immensely popular in her time. I remember the days when her songs were aired on listeners’ requests repeatedly. And many of thamizh chEvai iRaNdu listeners used to enquire eagerly about Jency, the person behind the voice. But Jency preferred to remain an elusive enigma, shying from publicity. I saw a picture of hers for the first time a year back in a magazine interview, where she spoke about her career, expressing her gratitude to IR.

And for me, Jency will always remain an integral part of cherished remembrances …my earliest memories of radio and becoming smitten with tfm are inter-linked with reminiscences of Jency, among others. Those were the days when Jency was riding an incredible high and her hits were hard to miss. I’ve even made a double CD album for myself, comprising the entire Jency collection :)

* * * *

So, listen on to this song that Jency sang in the first year of her short-lived tfm career. The interludes are class IR vintage vignettes, and the tune itself is alluringly apposite for a cabaret number sung by a reluctant dancer, the words dipped delicately in the sorrow of shame and solitude.

An interesting revelation is that the opening of the prelude sounds suspiciously similar to the opening of Nazia Hassan’s immortal ‘aap jaisa koi meri’ from Qurbani, tuned by Biddu Appaiah. In case you’ve forgotten the opening, listen here (Biddu is wrongly credited with penning the lyrics; it was Indivar):

http://www.musicindiaonline.com/l/17/s/movie_name.1647/

Qurbani came in 1980, while vattathukkuL sathuram was released much earlier in 1978. But before we rush to any hasty conclusions, we must also remember that Biddu had earlier worked with Tina Charles. In fact I recall reading somewhere that he had fashioned ‘aap jaisa koi meri’ in the same pattern as Tina Charles’ 1976 hit ‘dance little lady dance’.

- Other Jency songs in SOTD: http://www.dhool.com/search/sotdsearch.php?singer=Jency

kalyaaNam ennai mudikka 
avasththai umakku adigam irukku 
iyyO paavam adhu yEn umakku 
kalyaaNam ennai mudikka 

Odidum rayilE uravinar soozhndhida 
MaNavarai amaikaNum 
Odidum rayilE uravinar soozhndhida 
maNavarai amaikaNum 
prohidhar veLinaattinar pudhidhoru bhaaNiyil 
mandhiram sollaNum 
rayil varum vazhiyinil thOraNam aadaNum 
idhuvum enadhu iniya manadhu virumbuvadhu 

kalyaaNam ennai mudikka 
avasththai umakku adigam irukku 
iyyO paavam adhu yEn umakku 
kalyaaNam ennai mudikka 

maapiLLai kaigaLil paal pazha thattudan 
paLLiyarai sEraNum 
maapiLLai kaigaLil paal pazha thattudan 
paLLiyarai sEraNum 
maNamagaL kaalgalil maNamagan vaNangi 
aasiyum vaangaNum 
manaiviyin manamadhu kuLirndhidum vagayinil 
kaalam muzhudhum irundhu vaazhkkai nadaththidaNum 

kalyaaNam ennai mudikka 
avasththai umakku adigam irukku 
iyyO paavam adhu yEn umakku 
kalyaaNam ennai mudikka


லாலால லாலாலலலா 

கல்யாணம் என்னை முடிக்க 
கல்யாணம் என்னை முடிக்க 
அவஸ்த்தை உமக்கு அதிகம் இருக்கு 
ஐய்யோ பாவம் அது ஏன் உமக்கு 
கல்யாணம் என்னை முடிக்க 

ஓடிடும் ரயிலிலே உறவினர் சூழ்ந்திட 
மணவறை அமைக்கணும் 
ஓடிடும் ரயிலிலே உறவினர் சூழ்ந்திட 
மணவறை அமைக்கணும் 
ப்ரோஹிதர் வெளினாட்டினர் புதியதொரு பாணியில் 
மந்திரம் சொல்லணும் 
ரயில் வரும் வழியினில் தோரணம் ஆடணும் 
இதுவும் எனது இனிய மனது விரும்புவது 

கல்யாணம் என்னை முடிக்க 
கல்யாணம் என்னை முடிக்க 
அவஸ்த்தை உமக்கு அதிகம் இருக்கு 
ஐய்யோ பாவம் அது ஏன் உமக்கு 
கல்யாணம் என்னை முடிக்க 

மாப்பிள்ளை கைகளில் பால் பழ தட்டுடன் 
பள்ளியறை சேரணும் 
மாப்பிள்ளை கைகளில் பால் பழ தட்டுடன் 
பள்ளியறை சேரணும் 
மணமகள் கால்களில் மணமகன் வணங்கி 
ஆசியும் வாங்கணும் 
மனைவின் மனமது குளிர்ந்திடும் வகையினில் 
காலம் முழுதும் இருந்து வாழ்க்கை நடத்தணும் 

கல்யாணம் என்னை முடிக்க 
கல்யாணம் என்னை முடிக்க 
அவஸ்த்தை உமக்கு அதிகம் இருக்கு 
ஐய்யோ பாவம் அது ஏன் உமக்கு 
கல்யாணம் என்னை முடிக்க