When Ilayaraja makes his rare appearance on stage to conduct a music program, can one estimate the worth of it? Ilayaraja has made only 2 previous appearances on stage and yesterday's appearance was after a gap of few years. Directly or indirectly, Jaya TV has been responsible for that and our thanks to them!
The beautifully decorated stage at the Nehru Stadium with different colored lights was the venue where 10,000 people gathered to hear heavenly music. Ilayaraja's 'Anrum, Inrum, Enrum' started at 6.20pm.
As the voice spoke about the orchestra on stage, the audience was treated to visual memories of Ilayaraja's earlier days.
The stage which had been quite dark till then, exploded with brilliant light. Little angels clad in white brought Ilayaraja from the top of the stage. As the audience cheered, Ilayaraja started the evening with his famous song 'Janani...janani...' As he was singing, he got together his sons/heirs Karthik and Yuvan and made them sing with him.
S P Balasubramaniam kissed Ilayaraja on his forehead and sang the next song 'manjam vandha thendralukku' as the audience closed their eyes in enjoyment. The other musicians whose mellifluous voices drifted around the stadium included Hariharan, Chitra, Sadhana Sargam, Uma Ramanan, Shreya Ghosal, Madhu Balakrishnan and Swarnalatha.
After the maestro himself sang 'naan thedum sevvandhi poo' the audience cheered him on asking for an encore. Ilayaraja jested that maybe he had not sung properly the first time and got ready to sing his next number. But the audience persisted in their wishes for an encore. Ilayaraja did not disappoint his fans and obliged them by again singing 'naan thedum sevvandhi poo'!
Kalaignani Kamal was present at the Isaignani's program. Seated among audience, Kamal suddenly went on stage and said, "I have also come here as a rasika. Many talented people have been overlooked, including Bharathiyar. But Ilayaraja has been noticed. And I am happy to say I notice Bharathiyar's genius in Ilayaraja."
Ilayaraja tried hard to get Kamal to sing a song, but he refused and stepped off the dais. Then Raja and orchestra burst into 'kudikaaraa...kudikaaraa...' and Kamal turned back in shock. 'Kudikaaraa...kudikaaraa...paramakudikaaraa...' completed Ilayaraja and the audience clapped in joy!
Bharathiraja who had spoken earlier said, "If I am asked to speak about Ilayaraja, it will be like looking for adjectives to describe the beauty of nature. With his talent, he's like a giant of the earth and sky."
As the program stretched into the night, the audience remained seated. They could not have enough of this feast of music. It is usual to see parts of audience indulge in frolicking and noise making at such concerts. But at Ilayaraja's concert, the audience seemed to be in a daze after imbibing the nectar of music.
Here, it would be appropriate to mention Parthiban's comment when presenting the show. "If one is against drugs, then Raja's show must be banned. His music is so intoxicating!"
30 violins, veena, tabla, flute and a host of other instruments made for a lively orchestra. Leaving the arena after the program, one felt satisfied, as if emerging from meditation.
