Music composer Ilayaraja has that aura around him wherever he goes. The Vishaal De Mal’s atrium was bursting at the seams with men and women straining for a glimpse of the celebrity.
Brand ambassador for Malabar Gold and Diamonds, he was in the city to inaugurate the jewellery retailer’s 71st showroom.
“I support their public welfare initiatives,” said Ilayaraja, explaining his presence at a commercial venture. “Their corporate social responsibility convinced me to associate with them.”
He answered a question on his musical experiment for the much anticipated Gautam Menon flick NeeThane En Pon Vasantham. “There is nothing called fusion in music,” said Ilayaraja. “Music in itself is a combination of swaras.”
He also expressed his desire to perform live in the Temple City and cited lack of sponsorship as the reason a music concert hasn’t yet been organised. “I use more than 100 music instruments in my orchestra,” he said. “I have to start right from scratch as I don’t conduct live concerts regularly. Moreover, I have to dedicate a lot of time for the rehearsals and it involves manpower and money investment.”
The flagship division of the Malabar Group of Companies has reaffirmed its commitment towards education with the launch of its Empowering Education, Empowering Womanhood initiative. Through this programme the company will provide Rs.2 crore a year as educational scholarship for 10,000 higher secondary girl students in government schools across the State.
The company has earmarked a portion of its annual turnover for medical and housing charity work. Malabar Gold and Diamonds’ exclusive brands are Divine for heritage jewellery, Ethinix for handcrafted designer jewellery, Era for uncut diamond jewellery, Mine for diamonds unlimited, Starlet for children’s jewellery and Precia for precious gem ornaments. The company assures its customers that every gold ornament in the showroom is 100 per cent BIS Hallmarked gold and that the diamond ornaments are certified by the International Gemological Institute. Premium branded international watches such as Tisso, Rado and Omega and silver jewellery are also on display at the showroom.
