P. Jayachandran Age, Death, Wife, Children, Family, Biography

Some Lesser Known Facts About P. Jayachandran

• He grew up in Ravipuram, Kingdom of Cochin, India.
  

  An infant P Jayachandran

• Jayachandran’s father was a musician but not a professional singer.

• His mother, Subhadra Kunjamma, loved music. She encouraged him to learn the mridangam from a very young age. Jayachandran became skilled at playing the mridangam with the support of his mother.

• He was deeply attracted to the beautiful sounds of the mridangam and started learning it early in life. However, he did not receive training in classical music.
  

  P Jayachandran while practising mridangam

• Jayachandran began listening to music at a young age. The first song he liked was from the 1951 film Jeevithanauka.

• Once, he recalled in a media conversation that in his childhood, he used to run behind bullock carts, announcing new film releases in his town.

• The first film he watched was Jeevithanauka in Chendamangalam, a town in Kerala.

• Later, he moved to Irinjalakuda, where he enjoyed watching Tamil films, especially those of MGR and Shivaji Ganesan.

• When he was 8 years old, Jayachandran started singing devotional songs in churches.

• During a media interview, he remembered Varghese Chettan who used to carry him on his shoulders to attend church events.

• He would tell his Christian friends that Jesus Christ would come to earth when he sang devotional hymns.

• In his youth, Jayachandran loved listening to Hindi songs. He often listened to the Binaca Geetmala program on the radio to hear singers like Mohammed Rafi, Manna Dey, and Lata Mangeshkar.

• While studying at National High School in Irinjalakuda, he won several prizes for playing the mridangam and performing light music at the State School Youth Festival.
  

  P Jayachandran playing mridangam for Yesudas during the School Youth Festival in 1958

• Jayachandran’s first music teacher was his schoolmaster, K.V. Ramanathan, who gave him his first chance to sing on stage at Irinjalakuda National High School.

• He was inspired by G. Devarajan, a famous Malayalam film music composer. Jayachandran considered Devarajan his father, teacher, and friend.

• Jayachandran often visited G. Devarajan whenever he was in Thiruvananthapuram.

• He also respected music composer B.A. Chidambaranath, who introduced him to the Malayalam film industry.

• Jayachandran’s first film song was in the film Kunjali Marakkar in 1965. The song was composed by B.A. Chidambaranath.

• He was also influenced by the works of P. Bhaskaran and Vayalar Rama Verma, two renowned lyricists in the Malayalam film industry.

• Jayachandran’s elder brother Sudhakaran was a good singer and a close friend of K. J. Yesudas, a renowned Indian musician. Sudhakaran played a key role in helping Jayachandran become a professional singer.

• In school functions, Jayachandran often sang songs taught by his brother.

• Jayachandran first met Yesudas in 1958 during a state youth festival.

• In the same year, Yesudas won the Best Classical Singer award, while Jayachandran received awards for Best Light Music Singer and Best Mridangist.

• In 1965, Jayachandran met Yesudas again in Chennai while staying with his brother Sudhakaran.

• During this time, Yesudas, who became a famous singer, often visited their home to meet Sudhakaran. These meetings strengthen Jayachandran’s bond with Yesudas.

• After that, Sudhakaran, Yesudas, and Jayachandra began spending time together and riding motorcycles in their leisure time.
• Yesudas introduced Jayachandran to a recording studio for the first time and recorded the song Manikya Veenayumayi for the film Kattupookkal.

• Once, the trio watched the Hindi film Taj Mahal at a theatre and imitated a song sequence on their way back home. Yesudas sang the song, and Jayachandran danced.

• Jayachandran admired Yesudas, whom he considered an elder brother and a great singer with a god-gifted voice. During his life, he remained a devoted fan of Yesudas.
  

  An old picture of P Jayachandran and K J Yesudas

• In his singing career, Jayachandran won one National Award, five Kerala State Awards, and four Tamil Nadu State Awards.

• He has recorded songs in Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, and Hindi.

• In 1967, he sang the hit song Anuragaganam Pole, which was composed by M.S. Baburaj, for the film Udhyogastha, which was directed by P. Venu.

• P. Venu and Jayachandran later created more hit songs such as Ninmaniarayile from the film C.I.D. Nazir (1971) and Malayala Bashathan from the film Prethangalude Thazhvara (1973).

• Jayachandran won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Singer in 1972 for the song Neelagiriyude (Suprabhaatham) from the film Panitheeratha Veedu. The music for this song was composed by M.S. Viswanathan.

• In 1978, Jayachandran won another Kerala State Award for the song Ragam Sreeragam from the film Bandhana, which was composed by M.B. Sreenivasan.

• Once, he was invited by the producer of the Malayalam film Mayor Nair to sing the emotional song Swapna Sakhi.

• S.R. Puttanna, a renowned Kannada film director, initially opposed the idea. He believed that only Yesudas could do justice to the song.

• After that, Jayachandran was given the opportunity, and the song became a hit.

• When Jayachandran gained fame across India, Puttanna invited him to sing the song Mandara Pushpavani for the Kannada film Ranga Nayaki in 1981.

• The song and the film were huge successes, and from that moment until Puttanna’s death, Jayachandran sang in his films.

• In 1985, he received the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer for the song Sivasankara Sarva Saranya Vibho from the film Sree Narayana Guru. The song was composed by G. Devarajan.

• In 1998, he earned his third Kerala State Award for the song Prayam Nammil from the film Niram.

• In 2015, he won another Kerala State Award for his songs in the films Jilebi and Ennu Ninte Moideen during the 46th Kerala State Film Awards.

• In 1975, Jayachandran sang the song Velli Then Kinnam Pol for the Malayalam film Penpada in which the music was given by R.K. Shekhar. This song ‘Velli Then Kinnam Pol’ is considered the first composition of Dileep Shekhar, who later became the world-renowned A.R. Rahman at the age of nine.

• Jayachandran worked with composer Ilayaraja and went on to sing many hit Tamil songs including Raasaathi Unna and Kaathirundhu Kaathirundhu (Vaidhegi Kaathirundhaal, 1984), Mayanginen Solla Thayanginen (Naaney Raaja Naaney Mandhiri, 1985), Vaalkaiye Vesham (Aarilirundhu Arubathu Varai, 1979), Poova Eduthu Oru (Amman Kovil Kizhakaaley, 1986), and Thaalaattudhey Vaanam (Kadal Meengal, 1981).

• In 1994, he won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Singer for the song Kathazham Kattuvazhi from the film Kizhakku Cheemayile, composed by A.R. Rahman.

• In 1997, he received the Kalaimamani Award from the Tamil Nadu Government for his contributions to Tamil film music.

• In 2001, he became the first recipient of the Swaralaya Kairali Yesudas Award for his achievements in music.
  

  P Jayachandran while receiving an award

• The Swaralaya Kairali Yesudas Award aims to recognize the best singers and lyricists over 30 years.

• Jayachandran has sung over 1,000 songs for Malayalam films according to the MSI database.

• His son, Dinanath, has sung songs in two Malayalam films.

• In the 2002 film Puthooram Puthri Unniyaarcha, Dinanath sang an old song with Yesudas’s son, Vijay, which was originally sung by their fathers 30 years ago.

• In 2008, he sang his first Hindi song Milo Wahan Wahan for the film Ada…A Way of Life with Alka Yagnik. The song was composed by A.R. Rahman.
  

  The poster of the Hindi song Milo Wahan Wahan from the film, Ada…A Way of Life

• He then lent his voice to the songs Kannaadi Maalai (2018) and Chinna Poove (2020).

• In 2020, one of his bodybuilding pictures went viral on social media when he was 76 years old. He was a fitness enthusiast. When asked about his gym routine, he said that he never went to a gym and did regular exercise at home. He said,
  

  I just do simple exercises at home that are suitable for my age. For years together, every day, I apply oil on my body before taking a bath. To ensure it is absorbed by the body, I do a few light exercises such as sit ups for half an hour. That’s all.

  He added that he was a pure vegetarian. He said,

  I am also a pure vegetarian; I don’t overeat or indulge in fried food.”

  

  P Jayachandran while showing his muscles

• He dreamt of spending his old age near the holy river Bharathapuzha in Kerala for a peaceful life.