Ilayaraja - Subconscious Mind (part- I)

Ilayaraja once said that “Music for me is something that must take the listener to a different sub-conscious level, and Mind must be engulfed by the melody and must make you ask the question Is there a connection with this and me…?”, what a wonderful quote. No other Music Composer can stake claim to this statement, when “Maestro Ilayaraja” proved that he can take people to that level with his numerous compositions.

Truly, while hearing to some of his compositions, unknowingly we move into a different state of mind may be just for a second…on a particular interlude or a prelude, may be on a counterpoint. There are many instances of our heart skipping a beat on a specific instrument being making a call and another responding, in the song "Om Namaha..."from the film Gitanjali, we observe or even feel a kind of trance being created by the Orchestra, its not the picturisation that is sensual, but its the tune and Orchestration that created the magic. The Rhythm, the synthesized beat of heart, 1st interlude and the 2nd are the best examples to support this statement.

Ilayaraja entered into the film world with a bang and his ‘Annakilli’ is a phenomenal success, no contemporary Music Composers in India is as successful as Ilayaraja, though A R Rahman hit the Music world with a Storm and gained the popularity as well a National award for his debut ‘Roja’, there is a wide gap of situational difference between the emergence of these two greats. Firstly, Ilayaraja broke the monotony of film music and ARR continued it, secondly, technological advancement and media, thanks to the liberalization and globalization Indian techies were atlast recognized globally, and ARR’s emergence in the National arena is a good example of how a person can sell his product if ventured out at the right time and at the right place, thirdly, approach - though Ilayaraja has laid foundation to the process of daring experimentaion in the world of Music and many of his scores were pathbreaking trendsetters, he is more strict to the grammar of Music and ARR a bit liberal to it, you may find some inspired or even adapted tunes in the compositions of ARR eg., Lobo's-The Kube Land was used in his National award winning score “Merupu Kalalu” O Vaana Padithe.... for the number “O Vana Padithe…”, a serious introspection into the song Varaha Nadikkarai from the film Sangamam will give you an impression of the sufi song Dama Dam Mast Kalandar  though ARR is a genius, as his Slumdog proves , he trails “Maestro Ilayaraja” in originality.

At times, I feel that ARR killed the tune and did a Phoenix thing to sound, some times it is reverse, that’s the genius adaption of sound engineering. It is mentioned in the Biography of A R Rahman ‘s “Musical Storm” , that he purportedly told S A Rajkumar, that a mere song or a hit number cannot overthrow Ilayaraja, it needs a different sound and a big force, because Ilayaraja is such a genius every time he used to hit back with a thumping tunes to the awe of listeners.

....(contd)