Happy birthday Ilayaraja!

He can be termed as the Pannaipurathu Isairaja (The music genius from Pannaipuram). His contribution to the film music world cannot be judged counting his chart-busters or the tenure he has in the film industry. It goes beyond all that; his music touches souls, it evokes the emotional nooks in the deep recesses of the listeners’ hearts and�inspires them to unwind. His divine compositions have earned an innumerable number of ardent devotees. Today is his birthday, one of the momentous occasions to remember this Maestro. Galatta.com wishes Ilayaraja a very happy birthday!

Ilayaraja’s musical reign in Tamil filmdom dovetailed with the tenure of the Mellisai Mannar duo M.S.Viswanathan and T.K.Ramamurthy. Before he took up music as a profession, he got trained under Professor Dhanraj Pillai and also finished a certificate course in the Trinity college of Music, London. He has also worked as assistant to popular film composers Salil Chowdhary and G.K.Venkatesh. Anakkili was Ilayaraja’s first film music album; the songs of the film became sensational hits. From thereon began his mesmerising era of music that captivated and fettered music-lovers from all parts of the globe. A number of songs in SPB and S.Janaki’s combination were big hits. He introduced niche singers like Jensi, Sunandha and Uma Ramanan. Sigappu Rojakkal, Raja Paarvai, Muthal Mariyathai, Sindhu Bhairavi, Moondram Pirai, Mouna Raagam, Paneer Pushpangal, Thalapathy, Naayakan, the list of Ilayaraja hits goes on and on.

His is a natural style that makes use of intriguing yet alluring combinations of sound. He has also set instrumental templates for producing some mood-tuned sounds. For example, if it comes to harrowing tunes, Ilayaraja makes use of a fleet of violinists to bring about the exact effect. With the introduction of some allied instruments Ilayaraja can change the mood to a happy one too. In today’s scenario, no budding music composer would have missed picking up lessons and practical tips from Ilayaraja’s compositional style. Also, even in this age when technology has a telling influence in music, there exist many pure Ilayaraja fans. His songs have a lilting impact and full of life.

In addition to film music, Ilayaraja has also worked on non-film albums. ‘Nothing but wind’ and ‘The musical Messiah’ are two of his popular compilations. He is also engaged in making music for two forthcoming productions, Valmiki and Azhagar Malai. In Azhagar Malai, for one of his songs, Ilayaraja has appeared in a visual sequence too.

All three of Ilayaraja’s offsprings have proved themselves in the field of film music. His daughter Bhavatharini is a National award-winning singer. His sons Karthikraja and Yuvanshankar Raja are established composers. Yuvan is the rocking musical icon of the youth.

A man of words, Ilayaraja is a religious person. For him the sound of music and the process of making it are a acts of the Almighty. His music is therapeutic, he is the God of Harmony. Long live the Isaignani! Happy Birthday Ilayaraja!