Vani Jairam (born Kalaivani, 30 November 1945 – 4 February 2023), fondly known as the "Meera of modern India," was one of Indian cinema's most celebrated playback singers. Her career began in 1971 and spanned over five decades, during which she lent her voice to more than a thousand films and recorded over 20,000 songs, alongside thousands of devotionals and private albums. Renowned for her remarkable vocal range and effortless command over difficult compositions, she sang across Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Odia, Gujarati, and Bengali cinema, working with some of India's greatest composers. She won the National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer three times, received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award – South, and was honored with the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award, shortly before her passing in Chennai.
