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Ilaiyaraaja to perform in Bengaluru to mark 50 years in music

Bengaluru: MaestroI laiyaraaja will hold a special concert here next month to mark 50 years of his musical journey, coinciding with the silver jubilee celebrations of the Akshaya Patra Foundation. The event, titled 'Ilaiyaraaja 50: A Legendary Musical Journey', will be held on January 10, 2026, at the NICE Grounds in Madavara. The concert will support 'Music for Meals', an initiative of the Akshaya Patra Foundation that leverages music-led programmes to raise awareness and mobilise support for providing mid-day meals to schoolchildren. As it enters its silver jubilee year, the Akshaya Patra Foundation said it currently serves nutritious mid-day meals to about 2.33 million children every school day across 23,978 government and government-aided schools. The foundation is a key implementing partner of the Centre's PM POSHAN programme. Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Ilaiyaraaja said he agreed to perform as soon as the foundation approached him. "The moment they mentioned it, I immediately agreed to do the concert. It was a spontaneous decision. When it is for a good cause, I have to do it," he said. He said music goes straight to the heart and soul, and that the proceeds from music created with purity should be contributed to a meaningful cause. "When I was told about this initiative, I felt it was a good purpose. I felt I was born to do such a thing," he said. Noting that music has given him everything over the past five decades, Ilaiyaraaja said the concert provided him an opportunity to give back. "As Akshaya Patra completes 25 years of service, 'Music for Meals' brings our journeys together with a shared purpose of nourishing young minds," he said. "If a concert can help fill an empty stomach and keep a child in school, then every raga and every rhythm gains deeper meaning. Akshaya Patra's work shows how a simple plate of food can change the direction of a young life, and I am humbled to stand with them in this journey," he added. Recalling his early career, Ilaiyaraaja said he began working under noted composer G K Venkatesh and was involved in nearly 250 Kannada films before becoming a music director. "I first started in Kannada," he said. Asked about advice to young music composers, he said they were already well-equipped. "They are wonderful. They have knowledge and do excellent work. Who am I to advise them? I look for advice if anyone can give me," he said. Responding to questions on contemporary music trends, he said he did not see himself as responsible for guiding current tastes. On artificial intelligence in music, Ilaiyaraaja remarked that human intelligence itself is shaped by learning and training. "Did I know music on my own? It came to me after learning from someone. In that sense, artificial intelligence is not separate; it exists within us," he said. Chanchalapathi Dasa, Co-founder and Vice-Chairman of the Akshaya Patra Foundation, said the collaboration reflects the organisation's vision of compassion in action. "This unique confluence of music and meals beautifully brings together talent, purpose and service to nourish both hearts and futures," he said. Ilaiyaraaja, widely regarded as one of India's most influential composers, has completed five decades in the music industry, with a body of work spanning multiple languages and genres. The organisers said the collaboration underscores how cultural expression can play a meaningful role in supporting national welfare initiatives.

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