“Normally, you’re curious about things you don’t know. I still don’t know what music is. Maybe that’s what keeps me going,” said legendary music composer Ilaiyaraaja, who was part of the Extra Mural Lectures, organised by Indian Institute of Technology-Madras on Saturday.
Bhaskar Ramamurthi, director, IIT-M, reminisced about his college days and how Ilaiyaraaja’s songs played a vital part in his growing-up years. He spoke at length about how he used to eagerly wait for the ‘Oliyum Oliyum’ programme on TV, just to catch some of his songs. “There was a theatre on LB Road in Adyar. We used to watch every film in that theatre,” said Bhaskar Ramamurthi.
Ilaiyaraaja began the session on a spiritual note by singing ‘Janani Janani’ from Thaai Mookaambikai . It’s a ritual that the maestro has been following for years. While the song received thunderous applause from the audience, Raaja posed a relevant question to IITians: “How does one think of an idea? What was I thinking before I composed ‘Janani Janani’? The song now has a shape and rhythm. But does that mean it was non-existent before?” He explained, “My understanding is that the ideas/thoughts are always in the atmosphere. When your frequency matches with it, then it takes shape. In my case, the music flows.”
Despite having composed for more than 1,000 films, Raaja said that none of the directors had ever questioned his methodology. “Every time a director narrates the song situation, I immediately start humming the tune. What gives them the conviction? I really don’t know. But they never had doubts about my work,” he added. There have been instances where Ilaiyaraaja’s music had been the driving force behind a film’s performance at the box office. He acknowledged this and said, “Some films I compose for get panned by the audience. Please understand that I have had to watch it atleast five times to compose its tunes! I would have gotten the thuppara feel before you guys. But it’s my responsibility to give life to the film through my music.”
He says that he doesn’t believe in the concept of programming music. “Music without actual performance isn’t music at all. As a matter of fact, any art form,” he added.
- Bollywood composer Kumar Sanu holds the Guinness Record for recording the maximum number of songs in a single day, with 28 songs.
Ilaiyaraaja brought the house down when he spoke about records and why Guinness Book of Records isn’t a validation for him. In the late 80s, Raaja said that he had composed for 56 films. “There are 52 weeks in a year. But 58 of my films released in a single year. I’ve sung and written the maximum number of songs. I’ve never taken more than three days for a background score. You may think that I’m blowing my own trumpet,” he said, adding, “But... I am. Because it’s my trumpet.”
