S JANAKI kochi l sunday l july 12, 2026 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l late city EDITION EVERY GENRE HAS A JANAKI AMMA SPECIAL a v i n a s h r a m a c h a n d r a n @ Chennai LEGENDARY playback singer S Janaki, fondly called the Nightingale of South India, passed away in Mysuru due to age-related health complications on Saturday She was 88. . For more than six decades, Janaki was the voice not just of generations of actors, but also the most identifiable voice for years to come. While she was best known for her renditions 23 April 1938 l 11 July 2026 of countless songs in South Indian languages, Janaki left an indelible mark in Hindi, Bengali and Odia, as well. She began her singing career with the Tamil film, Vidhiyin Vilayattu (1957) at the age of 19. Although she retired from active play- back singing in 2016, the 48,000 songs she sang in over 20 languages since the late 1950s will stand a testimony to her versatility. The remarkable thing about her legacy is that every genre had its Janaki song. If you wanted to take the devo- tional route, you had the breathtaking Singara Velane Deva. Soon enough, she became the voice of unadulterated romance, encompassing the age of ache and yearning with Senthoora Poove, which earned her the National Award. How could this same divine voice also define the tone of sensuality with Ponmeni Uruguthey? And if you had any doubts about her versatility, you have the two amazing Sundari songs: Sundari Neeyum Sundaran Naanum and Sundari, Kannal oru seidhi... Every era discovered a new Janaki. She didn’t just adapt to changing musical landscapes but underscored them with her high-pitched yet soothing CONTINUED on: P5 tone.  Mother of melodies If sweetness had a voice, it would sound like S Janaki’s. And Keralites have tasted it umpteen times, from the honey-drenched Mizhiyoram to the lovelorn Naadha Nee Varum Kalocha Kelkuvaan to the ebullient Thumbi Vaa. The expressions in her voice showed amazing dexterity to evoke heady feelings in the hearts that would hear her songs. P5 CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI NZ ties scaled up to strategic partnership romance de La Roja Spain ultimately showed their class as they beat Belgium 2-1 to advance to only their second World Cup semifinal. A look... Merino does it again A few days after scoring the winner against Portugal in injury time, the midfielder, who had only been on the field for three minutes, finished from close range to score the winner in the 88th minute Trade target set at I35,000 crore by 2030 Meeting France J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi Rajeevaru seeks to step down, wants son to be Sabarimala tantri E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @Pathanamthitta Amid the ongoing case relating to the Sabarimala gold theft, Kandararu Rajeevaru has approached the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), seeking to hand over the responsibility of Sabarimala tantri (chief priest) to his son, Kandararu Brahmadathan. Rajeevaru has submitted a letter to the TDB expressing his willingness to step down, citing health reasons. Confirming the receipt of the letter, TDB president K Jayakumar said the board will take further steps after obtaining clearance from the High Court. With the tenure of incumbent tantri Kandararu Mahesh Mohanaru ending this August, Rajeevaru was scheduled to take up the responsibility during the forthcoming festival season. “He has submitted a letter expressing his willingness to step down as tantri, citing ill-health. He also wishes his son Brahmadathan to be appointed in his place,” Jayakumar told ● More on P4 TNIE.  W I T H T H I S I SS U E Game On PLUS 12 P AGES India and New Zealand elevated their relationship to a Strategic Partnership on Saturday , marking the most significant upgrade in bilateral ties in decades, with the two countries unveiling an ambitious defence, maritime and economic agenda aimed at deepening cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. Following wide-ranging talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon, the two sides announced 18 outcomes, including 10 agreements spanning defence, maritime security, trade, supply chains and regional cooperation. The two sides launched a Maritime Security Dialogue, a reciprocal logistics support arrangement between the Indian Navy and the New Zealand Defence Force, a maritime cooperation pact between their defence ministries, and a roadmap to expand bilateral engagement over the next four years. The leaders also set an ambitious target of doubling bilateral trade in goods and services to NZ$7 billion (around `35,000 crore) by 2030, while committing to ensure the early imple- PM Narendra Modi with his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon at an Indian diaspora event in Auckland | PTI mentation of the recently signed India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement. “I am delighted that we are going to take our relationship forward through a Strategic Partnership. This milestone will motivate us to move ahead with greater energy confidence , and determination,” said Modi, the first Indian PM to visit New Zealand in four decades. The agreements underscore New Zealand’s growing strategic engagement with India as Wellington seeks to diversify partnerships in the Indo-Pacific, while reflecting New Delhi’s efforts to strengthen cooperation with like-minded maritime democracies against the backdrop of China’s expanding regional influence. B a n s y K a l a p pa @ B’luru/New Delhi THREE United Nations Special Rapporteurs have written to the Indian government expressing concern over allegations that the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls resulted in the deletion of millions of voters, with minority communities allegedly being disproportionately affected. In a formal communication to the Centre, the UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion/belief said they had received information indicating that the electoral roll revision adversely affected ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, particularly Muslims. The communication focuses prima- j aya n t h j a c o b @ New Delhi AT least 15 Indian tourists — 13 men and two women — were killed after a tourist boat carrying Indian visitors capsized off Vietnam’s Phu Quoc Island on Saturday, prompting a major search-and-rescue operation and emergency assistance by Indian diplomatic missions. The victims include a couple — A C Thomas, 57, and wife, Loveni Thomas, 56, — from Kottarakkara, Kollam. The vessel, carrying 36 people, 32 Indian tourists, three crew members and one attendant, overturned around 1 pm local time (11.30am IST) while returning from Hon May Rut Ngoai Island to An Thoi Port amid rough seas and strong winds. Authorities said 21 peo- rily on the SIR exercise conducted in West Bengal before the elections in April 2026, while also referring to concerns raised during a similar roll revision in Bihar last year. The UN experts said many of those removed in Bengal allegedly possessed valid identity documents but were disenfranchised. The rapporteurs also cited allegations that Muslim voters were disproportionately affected. In Nandigram constituency , 95 per cent of deleted names belonged to Muslims, the representatives said. The UN experts also expressed concern over statements by political leaders linking SIR to identifying “illegal Bangladeshi immigrants,” warning that such rhetoric could blur the distinction between foreign nationals and Indian Muslim citizens and reinforce discrimination against minority communities. T20 WC champions reeling in English heat e x p r e s s n e w s s e r v i c e @ Chennai To top it all, India had one of the worst bowling performances on Saturday | ap In three games, Sanju Samson, player of the T20 World Cup, was dropped for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the 15-year-old prodigy. After three games, Sooryavanshi who did not get big scores was dropped on Saturday for Samson. Not to mention that India have changed their playing XI every single game. Recurring injuries and poor After not conceding for almost 11 hours, Spain’s Unai Simon finally conceded a goal, Charles De Ketelaere heading home a cross from the right. But Spain refocused to deliver the finishing touch 2 Malayalis among 15 Indians killed in boat capsize UN experts flag concerns on SIR deletions in Bengal ON Saturday afternoon, India captain Shreyas Iyer was supposed to walk out for toss in Southampton for the final T20I against England at 2 pm local time. Instead, India were stuck in traffic and the toss had to wait for 45 minutes. That, in essence, sums up India’s tour for the Men in Blue. From the time they landed in Belfast last month, not a single thing has gone their way. And it ended in a frustrating 56-run loss against England on Saturday With six T20I losses . across Ireland (0-2) and England (0-4), captain Iyer is yet to get his first win while coach Gautam Gambhir is feeling the heat too. Simon finally breached As soon as the draw was out, the brackets had suggested this and so it has come to pass. Two of the world’s best sides will face each other in the first semifinal at Dallas for a place in the final. And it promises to be a cracker fielding have added to the woes. “I feel this is the time we need to try what’s the best going forward for us as a team,” Iyer had said at toss on Saturday . Which makes one wonder about playing XI of previous games, lack of role clarity and stability in the dressing room. Tilak Varma, who was touted as No 3 when the T20 WC started and named vice-captain for this tour, has been dropped down the order. Washington Sundar struggling for form and two seam-bowling all-rounders — Hardik Pandya and Nitish K Reddy — are injured. For a team that won the T20 WC seven games ago, India allowing England to score 257/3 can be considered a new low. P11 cambodia Phu Quoc Island Vietnam Gulf of Thailand The speedboat capsized 400 metres off Hon May Rut Ngoai, an island in the An Thoi archipelago off the coast of Phu Quoc, killing 15 Indian tourists, 10 of whom were from Tamil Nadu ple were rescued and taken to hospital, with two reported critical. The Indian embassy said its Ambassador, accompanied by mission officials, was travelling to Phu Quoc to oversee consular assistance, coordinate with Vietnamese authorities and support the affected Indian nationals. Lava Mobiles said some of its employees and channel partners were among those killed in the boat accident. In a statement on X, Lava said, “Our immediate priority is to extend all possible support to those affected and their families. Our teams in both India and Vietnam are in regular contact with the families and are providing all possible assistance.” P4