Janaki was born on 21st March 1899 to Mr. Rangaswami Iyengar and Mrs. Ranganayakiammal. Janaki was the fourth daughter of five children to her parents who were rich at the time of her birth Mr. Rangaswami Iyengar was a land-lord, an agriculturist and also a businessman who sold the chemical for diamond setting. Janaki had an elder brother, two elder sisters and a younger brother. By the time of her marriage, on July 14, 1909, her parents became poor.