Indian music maestro Ilaiyaraaja mesmerises his fans in Sharjah

Raghib Hassan, Staff Reporter

Legendary Indian music maestro Ilaiyaraaja mesmerised his fans at the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) on Friday evening. He made the evening memorable for his diehard fans, who waited for hours to listen to the legend. Two hours of interactive session titled “The Maestro’s Journey: Ilaiyaraaja’s Musical Odyssey,” were indeed a delightful experience. Throughout the session, Ilaiyaraaja delved into his five-decade-long career, reflecting on his creative process and musical evolution.

The ballroom of the book fair literally fell short of space when the maestro arrived at the stage. His popularity can be understood from the fact that despite speaking only in his mother tongue Tamil, his admirers were glued to their chairs till the session got over. The session was moderated by renowned Carnatic musician Sanjay Subrahmanyan.

While interacting with his admirers, Ilaiyaraaja said, “Music was more than a career for me. It encompassed my life. I have lived each moment in music.” With a staggering repertoire of over 8,500 compositions, Ilaiyaraaja holds the world record as the only composer to have scored music for 1,428 feature films across nine languages. His career also boasts over 20,000 live concerts, along with multiple national awards and prestigious honours, including the Padma Vibhushan, awarded in 2018.

When asked how he maintains his energy and enthusiasm often exceeding that of even younger generations, he responded simply, “That’s Raja.”

Ilaiyaraaja is a recipient of five National Awards — three for Best Music Direction and two for Best Background Score. In 2010, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian honour in India, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2018, the second-highest civilian award by the Government of India. In a 2013 poll conducted by CNN celebrating 100 Years of Indian Cinema, Ilaiyaraaja was voted the All-time Greatest Film-Music Director of India.

Born in a small village in Tamil Nadu, Ilaiyaraaja’s passion for music was evident from a young age. His elder brother, Bhaskaran, performed at local events, while Ilaiyaraaja himself was initially not allowed to touch the harmonium at home. Yet, he grasped his first chance to play in public during a concert in Kambam when the scheduled harmonium player failed to show up. And this is where he received his first round of applause — a moment that resonated with the audience in Sharjah, who responded with matching enthusiasm. Ilaiyaraaja went on to complete his guitar studies with a gold medal. In 1976, prior to composing for his debut film “Annakili”, Ilaiyaraaja served as an assistant music producer for a Kannada film featuring the iconic actor Rajkumar.

Recounting this early experience, Ilaiyaraaja described how he was asked to prepare musical notes for ten compositions crafted by the lead composer. However, being unfamiliar with formal notation at the time, Ilaiyaraaja memorised the tunes instead. When the producer and director arrived to review the music, they were amazed to see him flawlessly perform each piece from memory, demonstrating his remarkable auditory skill.