I am an Admirer of the Music Maestro Ilayaraaja whose work could be praised only with new superlatives that are yet to be created. Understanding and Learning Ilaiyaraaja's music is a penance to me.
People seldom try to bother about what is on the other side of the world and try to be happy in their own world thinking that’s what the whole world is. I tried to climb upon the hill to look at the world that is not seen to me from my place. Staying there I could view and appreciate both the worlds. A time came when I had to make a decision whether to stay in my present world and peep into the other world or move to the other side permanently. I preferred the latter and made my world a beautiful place to live in by filling it with His Music.
And when the door to His Tamil music world opened, it was a downpour for me. I was constantly collecting and treasuring every drop....
‘Sitara’ was my first Ilaiyaraaja movie and it introduced me to the words ‘Re-Recording’ and ‘BGM’. Realizing that His BGM gives life to each and every scene in the movie, I decided to continue with matinee after the morning show and for the first time in my life had to savor the ‘time out’ given by my people to me and to my cousin who obliged to repeat watch the movie with me. Her role was great in keeping me updated with new Raaja releases. It was also the first ‘Telugu’ movie that I could understand fully. There after, I learnt to tune my ears not only to His songs but also to the BGMs. That's what makes a Composer complete, this’s what I could understand. With my little knowledge, I always tried to be a part of the musical discussions that often took place among the family members. When they were busily discussing Naushad and ‘Shankar jaikishan’, I used to poke in with utmost curiosity to introduce Ilaiyaraaja’s name to them. Success adored sometimes and happiness filled me when they appreciated the tunes that I played or hummed for them.
Only my trials to show Raaja to my friends were not as expected since their musical discussions revolved mainly around LP and RD. Even after willingly participating in their discussions, the deep urge to tell them something that they were missing was always there within me. Without leaving a single opportunity I continued my trials. A few of them were intelligent enough to grasp what I wanted to share and they were the ones who later on appreciated me for my discovery and thanked themselves for heeding to my words abating which they thought, they would have lost something in their lives.
After some years, each and every visit of mine witnessed people at my native place swinging in the cradle of Raaja’s music. Those happy faces with natural smiles always looked like good things are continuously happening to them. Now, they were requesting me to croon His numbers.
After tasting the sweetness of my language, I sensed the sweetness of other languages too. When I understood that His music has the power to beautify the language He touched I decided to shred the barricades and savour the sweetness of ‘Tamil’ bit by bit. It took me seven long years to become somewhat skilled at understanding and conversing. Lucky am I that I am a Tamil bahu owing to which access to His Tamil music was trouble free. And when I learnt that ‘Sangam’ was the period in the History of Tamil for literature, I concluded that the period when Isaigynaani ruled this earth would be known as Sanga kalam for Music in future.
Fascination for the local language was so much that I hardly ever took interest in knowing the sweetness of my Mother tongue till I was greeted with this song on a Ugaadi day. Maestro taught me the significance of my mother tongue. For me, this is the best Telugu patriotic song ever composed. And for you?
After realizing that it was impossible to reach the peak where His music stayed, they created an artificial peak and started deriving fake satisfaction by climbing it and trying to reach the heights. There is so much creativity in His music, that nothing more could be done to bring any change except to change the meaning of fine melody, eventually deceiving themselves and also others. Many changes followed a single change. By pushing the masses into a fake world of music and keeping them away from the natural music they derive satisfaction.
Lucky am I that I was sturdy enough and could not be pushed.
One of the many things that make me happy in my life is when the sales boy of the local music store comes to me with Raaja’s new releases, as soon as I enter the store leaving behind all other customers. The store manager updates me with Raaja’s impending projects with a lively face, and the remaining customers put across their eagerness to know more.
This time I was greeted with ‘Omshanti’. With unlimited happiness I returned home for peacefulness.
What a surprise? ‘Chinna polike ledu’ (not even a little similarity), so much versatility. His yester year’s music is so different from today’s music. Raaja once again presents His power and gifts us with tunes that exactly fill the cavities of today’s music world. Only His music helps me to change with the times because, to my mind He is the only Creator who creates tunes by taking care of the period, the situation and the character. I am not the same as I have gradually learnt to change with the times with His music and am ’flying on the moon.’ ‘Ottesi chebuta’(I promise) this is the real meaning of ‘Om Shanti’(peacefulness).
