Ilaiyaraaja 50: AR Rahman’s soulful salute, Isai Puyal crowns Isaignani as Tamil Nadu’s pride

The grand festival organized by the Tamil Nadu government to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the musical journey of musician Ilayaraja at the Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai was one of the memorable events in the history of Tamil cinema. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin attended the ceremony and honored Ilaiyaraaja by presenting him with a memento. This felicitation ceremony, held on behalf of the government, attracted great attention from the entire music world. On this occasion, world-renowned composer A.R. Rahman expressed his feelings through a special video.In his video, AR Rahman praised Ilaiyaraaja. "Ilaiyaraaja is the one who brought unique pride to Tamil Nadu and Tamil on the world music stage. He also emphasized that Ilayaraja's unique characteristic is that despite his achievements comparable to the Himalayas, he maintains simplicity as his philosophy of life. He described Ilaiyaraaja as a man of his time for integrating different genres of music, including classical music, Western music, and folk music, and making them easily accessible to the publi," he said.AR Rahman said that the fact that the Symphony Orchestra has performed world-class Western classical music, especially beyond film music, is an achievement that gives all musicians the confidence to innovate in the music industry. He shared with emotion that he grew up listening to Ilaiyaraaja's music and taking him as an example, and that he was immensely happy to have the opportunity to participate in the golden jubilee celebration of such a genius.AR Rahman further noted that the Tamil Nadu government's coordination and organization of this festival is a recognition given not only to Ilayaraja, but to all artists working in the music industry. He said he felt that this was not a personal compliment, but rather a tribute to the achievements of Tamilisai. Rahman humbly concluded by saying, “எல்லா புகழும் இறைவனுக்கே” (All praise is to God), and emphasized that Ilaiyaraaja’s artistic journey will be a guide for future generations.