July 09, 2024 02:56 pm IST
Singer and Padma Bhushan awardee Usha Uthup’s husband Jani Chacko died of a heart attack on Monday. Know everything about him here
Usha Uthup’s second husband Jani Chacko died of cardiac arrest in Kolkata on Monday at the age of 78. The couple led a fairly private life at their home in the city. However, here are some more details about Jani, who was not only Usha’s partner but also a tea lover himself. (Also Read – When Usha Uthup’s second husband Jani Chacko told her first husband ‘I have fallen in love with your wife’)
Who was Jani Chacko?
Born in 1946, Jani Chacko Uthup was the son of Brigadier CC Uthup. He belonged to a Syrian Christian family in Kottayam. Jani completed his schooling in Chennai (then Madras), and then moved to Kolkata (then Calcutta) in search of work, where he met the legendary singer and future wife Usha Uthup at the nightclub Trincas in 1969.
What did he do?
Usha Uthup’s second husband Jani Uthup was an active member of India’s tea fraternity and worked with J Thomas & Co. He was an integral part of India’s tea plantation industry. His work in the industry began in 1967. According to the Bygone Plantation Days group, Jani Chacko Uthup joined Thomas, Cumberlege & Inskip in London as a tea taster and apprentice and then later joined the company as an active member.
The love story of Usha and Jani
According to Vikas Kumar Jha’s book The Queen of Indian Pop: The Authorized Biography of Usha Uthup, she was married to her first husband Ramu when she first met Jani. While interacting during their shows, Jani and Usha fell in love with each other and later decided to get married after Usha and Ramu separated. According to the account written by Jha in Usha’s biography, Usha and Jani’s story at that time was a tale of romance, as she had ended her five-year-old marriage to be with Jani.
Jani is survived by Usha and their two children – daughter Anjali Uthup and son Sunny Uthup.
Meanwhile, Usha Uthup was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India this year. She has been singing in Bollywood since the early 1970s. She has also sung songs in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu films. Usha has also acted in a few films like 7 Khoon Maaf.
