Music maestro Ilaiyaraaja turns 75

Illayaraja, the person synonymous with music, turns 75 today; he was born on June 2, 1943 and went on to achieve timeless music classics, hummed by millions. Ilaiyaraaja on this occasion spoke about the potential of music to bring peace to a chaotic society, as learning music could enliven people and help them shun violence.

Birthday greetings pour in

Birthday greetings are pouring in and the President of India, Ramnath Kovind tweeted just a few minutes ago. “Birthday greetings to the peerless Ilayaraja, musician, composer and an extraordinary artiste who defines India’s rhythms. Honoured to have formally awarded him the Padma Vibhushan earlier this year.” As a person whose music has touched many lives, the greetings are also coming from people of diverse backgrounds.

This legend of music in an interview with The Hindu said that music has the power to counter violence and bring peace. Being part of a troupe led by his late brother Pavalar Varadarajan, a communist sympathiser, Ilayaraja learnt at an young age to connect with a live audience and the art of improvisation. His brother used M.S. Viswanathan’s tunes to reach out to people and this made him realize the importance of music composition.