Ilaiyaraaja was born as Gnanathesigan in a Dalit family, belonging to Pannaipuram in present-day Theni district, Tamil Nadu, India, on 3 June 1943. At the time of joining school, his father changed his name from Gnanathesi… See more

During the 1970s in Chennai, Ilaiyaraaja played guitar in a band-for-hire, and worked as a session guitarist, keyboardist, and organist for film music composers and directors such as Salil Chowdhury from West Bengal. … See more

Ilaiyaraaja, once reflecting over his works ahead of turning seventy-five, said his "life experiences and learning" have been the fount from which his musical output poured, but sometimes felt that some of his compositio… See more