The musical maestro, Ilayaraja, celebrated his birthday last week and this post is a tribute to the 'young king' of music. Here are some of the fond memories I have about his music:

1. I grew up listening to him and he played a significant part in shaping up my musical tastes.

2. When we got our first tape recorder in our home, we played his song first and since then every audio equipment that we bought had gone through a similar process.

3. I was born in the 80s and the very first Raja song I heard (if my memory serves me right) was 'Thooliyilae' from Chinna Thambi, which still happens to be one of my all time favorite songs.

4. My 'chithappa' (dad's younger brother) introduced me to Raja's music when I was a kid and I'm extremely thankful to him for doing that.

5. I have always thought (sometimes, I still think) that the raagas Mayamalavagowla and Keeravani were meant for his compositions. Ilayaraja must have milked out the essence of both the modes till the very last drop.

6. I covered one of his compositions which was liked by many. The song is 'Kaatril Varum Geethame' from the Tamil movie, Oru Naal Oru Kanavu composed in the raaga, Kalyani. Check it out:

What are some of your memories about Ilayaraja and his music? Did his music influence you in any way? Share them in the comments section below.

Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to Sou's Voice and join me on Facebook and Twitter. Check out www.sousvoice.com for an alternate perspective on Indian music.