Written by Naman Anil Kumar, a grade 7 student

He is an Indian Film composer, singer, songwriter, Instrumentalist, orchestrator, Conductor-arranger, and lyricist.

Who is he?

He is none other than our multitalented and magical composer, Ilayaraja.

Who are his parents and where was he born?

Ilayaraja was born on 2nd June 1943 in Pannaipuram, a small town in the Theni district in Tamil Nadu for Daniel Ramaswamy and Chinnathayee couples.

What drew him towards music compositions?

Ilayaraaja came to know that there were no other composers in India except A M Rajah and started his journey as a composer.

Which is his first composition?

His first composition was for a Coca-Cola advertisement.

How many songs and concerts has he done so far?

1000 movies, 7000 songs 20,000 concerts.

How did his initial musical compositions start?

When he started composing he used to be very curious to see how his friends would react to his attempts. He would suddenly play a tune that he had composed in between their card games. His friends used to believe that the song was from a movie. Later he would joke that the movie was yet to be released. This was how his musical journey started. He believed that the real joy of music comes when it travels and reaches people.

Which song created a wave and when was it released?

The song which created a big wave was from the movie Annakili which he composed in the year 1976.

What is the greatest inspiration for his creative magical composition?

The ocean was his biggest inspiration. He believed that looking at the infinite ocean can fill up our minds with many wonderful things.

What are the languages in which he has composed for films?

He has worked in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Hindi films.

What techniques does he use to compose music?

His music will be characterized by an orchestration technique of western and Indian instruments and musical modes.

Which is the new Raaga invented by him?

He created a new Carnatic Raaga popularly known as Panchamukhi.

What are the awards that he has received till now?

He has received five national film awards, three for best music direction and two for best background score. He is awarded by Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan.

We are so privileged to have this magical composer, who has had composed nine songs in just 45 minutes and the only composer in the world who has composed a song in ascending notes.

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Header image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ilaiyaraaja_at_the_TFPC_Press_Meet_Held_Ahead_Of_The_%E2%80%98Ilaiyaraaja_75%E2%80%99_Concert.jpg