I stood there over two hours listening to the rehearsal and sketching the gathering crowd. I too was ‘rehearsing’, trying out my new pens.
The maestro refers to his harmonium as his friend. In the concert hall, the spotlight is on this beautiful instrument, on a table with a spotless veshti wrapped around it. The top of the instrument is covered with a delicate piece of cloth that shimmers like gold.
A flash of white and Ilaiyaraaja emerged. He greeted the audience with a namaskaaram and then it was showtime.
Ilaiyaraaja introduces the members of his orchestra.
Part of the string section.
The composer and his orchestra. I made some sketches with a continuous line, not lifting pen off paper, to reflect Ilaiyaraaja’s spontaneity in music creation. These are marked ‘one line’.
Ilaiyaraaja with playback singers Mano and Chitra, who shared a terrific on-stage chemistry with the composer.