Happy birthday Ilaiyaraaja: The most popular Tamil songs of the maestro

A lot of things had been said and written about Ilaiyaraaja, and his timeless music. He's simply a man for all seasons. The music director's fingerprints are all over every song he sets tune to. The maestro, who rose to fame with Annakkili in 1976, has carved a niche for himself, even in 2022, and remains popular across generations. Ilaiyaraaja hails from Pannaipuram, a village in Madurai district. He came to Chennai, along with his brothers, with Rs 400, which his mother gave them, after selling off the radio they had at home. The rest, as they say, is history!

Music is, indeed, everything to Ilaiyaraaja, who has nearly 10,000 songs to his credit. One can access his App, which has different sections, including Carnatic, devotional, folk, instrumental, melody, peppy, romantic, and so on, which can be downloaded on Android (bit.ly/MMPlayStore) & iOS (bit.ly/MMapple) phones.

Can someone do music for 24 hours at a stretch and never get tired? That's Ilaiyaraaja for you, and he had told this in multiple interviews. "I make music for my fans and it touches their emotions. When I make music, it’s mine. The moment it reaches them, it is theirs. Rather, they make my music theirs," he had said in a conversation with the Indian Express.

Thendral Vandhu Theendum Podhu, (Avatharam):

Poo maalaiye, (Pagal Nilavu):

Nee Partha Paarvai, (Hey Ram):

Sundari Kannaal, (Thalapathi):

Mannil Indha, (Keladi Kanmani):

Kanne Kalaimaane, (Moondram Pirai):

Thenpaandi Cheemaiyile, (Nayakan):

Kaadhalin Deepam Ondru, (Thambikku Endha Ooru):

Valaiyosai, (Sathya):

Nilave Vaa, (Mouna Ragam):

Ninnu Kori, (Agni Natchathiram):

Ninaivo Oru Paravai, (Sigappu Rojakkal):

En Iniya Pon Nilave, (Moodu Pani):

Maankuyile, (Karagattakaran):