Ilaiyarajaa's music is timeless and it's an understatement to say that he has the ability to draw out raw emotions effortlessly. There's a Raja song for any mood, any situation and while we celebrate AR Rahman and many other musicians in the state, Ilaiyaraaja remains the king of soul.
To the delight of his fans, who could range from a lovesick teenager to a doddering grandmother, the Maestro's Music app which features some of his best music was released on Monday.
You only need to look at the "moods and genres" feature that categorizes songs under Carnatic, Classics, Devotional, Folk, Instrumental, Melody, Peppy, Romantic, Sad, and Western, to know the variety of tunes that the 73-year-old has produced in his stellar career.
If you're new to Raja and have never heard his music before (what were you doing all these years?!), you might find yourself becoming bewildered by what to listen to.
Those who've grown up listening to his songs will find all the usual suspects on the playlists but for the uninitiated, maybe the best place to start is 'Ilaiyaraaja's Favourites'. A collection of 47 songs, these include songs like Aagaya Vennilave, Ilaya Nila, Ninnukori Varanam, Panivizhum Malar and more.
Actors Dhanush and Kamal Haasan have also given their favourite songs from Ilaiyaraaja's music. Dhanush's list of 9 includes songs like Antha Nilava Than, Thulli Ezhunthadu and Naan thedum Sevvanthi. Kamal's ten picks have Guruvayurappa, Poongaatru Puthithaanathu and Potta Padiyudhu (which the actor has also sung).
There's a short 'Drive to Work' list with four songs: Adichachu Lucky Prize, Megam Kottatum, Rakkama Kaiya Thattu and Yaar Veetu Roja. Why the stinginess? There are so many lovely numbers from Raja that could have made it to this list...is it so people don't get too carried away and cause accidents?
All songs come with the title of the film they featured in as well as the name of the singers.
There are a few other sections on the app like 'Voice of the Month' (it's currently KS Chitra's Antha Nilava Than), 'Trending Now' and so on. You can download songs and also create your own playlists and although some reviews have pointed out glitches with some of the features, the overwhelming feedback is one of elation.
Raja’s music has its own 'feel' and for anyone outside Tamil Nadu who doesn't understand why people in the state get so gushy about him, this app is a small step towards making that discovery.