Four decades, 1000 films, over 6000 songs. Five National awards. That is Ilayaraja to you. From a small village called Pannaipuram, he came all the way to Chennai to establish a music empire.
From Annakili to Sabaash Naidu, it has been a remarkable journey for him, with an average of over 60 films a year. Quality and quantity always go hand-in-hand for Ilayaraja.
A gold medalist in classical guitar from Trinity College of Music, London, in 1993, he became the first Asian to compose a full symphony performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London’s Walthamstow Town Hall.
Today, the maestro turns 74. A day to cherish and celebrate for his fans across the globe. But for Raja, it is another day at office. He is doing what he has been for the past several years – composing music.
A devout spiritualist, he was known for his quick wits and humour. The strength of his music for that he managed to wed perfectly classical and folk music.
Incidentally, 2016 marks four decades of Ilayaraja’s music across Indian cinema. And even after 40 long years, his shelf life is not over. This year, he completed music for his 1000th film (Thara Thappatai), won a National award for best background score and reunited with Kamal Haasan for the movie Sabaash Naidu.
On this day, celebrities from various walks of lives and his ardent fans flood social media with their wishes.
Music composer D Imman tweeted, ‘#HappyBirthdayMaestro Wishing joyful birthday wishes to our Musical Genius #Illayaraja Sir! True Inspiration to many’.
Actress Kushboo Sundar tweeted, ‘Birthday wishes 2 the God of music #ILLAYARAJA.. day starts with him n ends with him..his music lives with us every moment’.
