S JANAKI THIRUVANANTHAPURAM l sunday l july 12, 2026 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l late city EDITION 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 EVERY GENRE HAS A JANAKI AMMA SPECIAL 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 `35,000 crore by 2030 KCL At R11.8 LAKH, Sibin emerges top draw Power-packed performances in the previous season and in the recently concluded NSK Trophy helped Sibin Gireesh become the costliest player of the third edition of the Kerala Cricket League. Alleppey Ripples purchased Sibin for H11.80 lakh at the auction on Saturday W IT H T H IS ISS 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 implementation 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 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 PM Narendra Modi with his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon at an Indian diaspora event in Auckland | PTI 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. The joint statement reaffir med both countries’ commitment to a free, open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific, stressing respect for sovereignty territo, rial integrity and the rulesbased international order. Both PMs also reiterated support for freedom of navigation and overflight. UN experts flag concerns on SIR deletions in Bengal 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 primarily 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 alleg- Simon finally breached Meeting France J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi 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 Vietnam boat capsize 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 searchand-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 PM promises speedy assistance Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the government was extending all possible assistance. “My sincere condolences to families who lost their loved ones. Our Embassy are providing all possible assistance.” Thoi Port amid rough seas and strong winds. Authorities said 21 people 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.” Sources said around 110 Lava distributors and employees from South India were travelling together on the Vietnam trip, although only a section of them was travelling on the ill-fated boat. P4 cambodia Phu Quoc Phu Quoc Island Vietnam Gulf of Thailand edly 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. 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 ai enhanced pic E X PRESS RE A D Let public judge CM’s approach, says NSS Landslip: Search for missing person continues US seeks Iran pledge to stop Hormuz ship attacks T’Puram: Amid the row over CM V D Satheesan’s meeting with Hindu Aikya Vedi leaders, the NSS has said that the public should judge his approach to the organisation. “It is for the public to judge whether CM’s action denying permission to NSS for a meeting was right,” said general secretary G Sukumaran Nair. P4 Kalpetta: Search operations on Saturday, the fifth day since the July 7 landslip at the Kalladi tunnel project site, failed to locate the remaining missing person. Meanwhile, the state government on Saturday ordered constitution of a five-member expert panel to enquire into the reasons for the landslip. Washington: The Donald Trump administration is trying to extract a public pledge from Iran that the Strait of Hormuz is open to all and it will stop firing at commercial ships, media report said. As per a BBC report, the US officials have conveyed the demand to Iran through regional mediators. P9 Rajeevaru seeks to step down, wants son to be Sabarimala tantri Express News Service @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 h e a l t h reasons. Confirming the receipt of the letter, TDB Kandararu president K Rajeevaru Jaya k u m a r 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. We will seek concurrence of the High Court for the appointment. The matter will be placed before the High Court through the Sabarimala Special Commissioner,” Jayakumar told TNIE. He said the board will place the matter before the Sabarimala Special Commissioner by Monday . There are reports that Rajeevaru has also requested to be dropped from the panel constituted by the board to select the Sabarimala melsanthi (head ● More on P4 priest).  time for introspection Caught in traffic jam, T20 World Cup champions reeling in English heat express news service @ Chennai 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. To a large extent, the team management has not helped their cause either. In three games, Sanju To top it all, India had one of the worst bowling performances on Saturday | ap 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 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. India have not found a viable replacement yet. For a team that won the T20 WC seven games ago, India allowing England to score 257/3 can be considered a new low. When the dust settles after the England tour (ODI-leg left), the BCCI will have to sit down and take a hard look at the way P11 forward.