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“I incorporate multitudes,” wrote Walt Whitman successful the ‘Song of Myself,’ and I couldn’t assistance reasoning astir the depths of what that meant connected Sunday morning. Like me, tens of thousands of Tamil euphony fans made their mode to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium successful Chennai with their hearts anxious to cognize the reply to conscionable 1 question: “Which Ilaiyaraaja would we get to acquisition today?”
Sure, determination is conscionable 1 ‘Isaignani’ Ilaiyaraaja, the corporal being celebrated arsenic the ‘King of music.’ But if the past 50 years of Tamil music person taught america something, it is that Ilaiyaraaja contains multitudes. There’s an Ilaiyaraaja we perceive to erstwhile we miss being cradled by our mother; an Ilaiyaraaja is perennially waiting to pacify a recently breached heart; there’s 1 for erstwhile we miss the odor of petrichor, 1 for precocious nighttime ruminations, and 1 for when the breeze hits america done the windows of buses and trains; I, for one, person adjacent met an Ilaiyaraaja who extended his limb into the acheronian I was erstwhile drowning in.
The Ilaiyaraaja we met connected Sunday astatine the From Raaja With Love performance was besides idiosyncratic we were each excessively acquainted with — but it seemed similar determination were 1 excessively galore hindrances to what should person been an once-in-a-lifetime meeting. The lawsuit saw rather a fewer mishaps, beryllium it a backstage malfunction and in-ear show issues that singers seemed to beryllium visibly powering through. When it comes to the tracklist, 1 adjacent wondered whether Raaja’s ineligible battles (with Saregama and Echo) mightiness person ended up limiting his options; though featuring galore fashionable songs that fans similar yours genuinely were mesmerised by, those who were anxious to conscionable a ‘concert Raaja’ who would equilibrium fashionable chirpy songs with chartbuster soothing melodies seemed disappointed.
The absorption of the amusement has further snowballed into different issue. Many attendees, particularly from the Gold summons section, complained that mounting up a videography signifier successful the mediate of the stadium was a mediocre call, arsenic it obstructed overmuch of their presumption of the stage. Most attendees who watched the lawsuit from further backmost person complained astir the deficiency of speakers and LED monitors, isolated from the mediocre attraction of the seats.
All that said, a euphony person consenting to powerfulness done each these troubles was inactive successful for a magical nighttime — aft all, it’s Raaja we are talking about. In a quintessential Raaja fashion, the maestro kick-started the performance by imbuing an aura of divinity successful the air. ‘Janani Janani’ carried the blessings of Devi (and Raaja) crossed the water of euphony pilgrims, and it continued erstwhile singers Anitha Karthikeyan and Srisha Vijayasekar took to the signifier to croon ‘Amudhe Thamizhe’ from Koil Pura. In a classical Raaja performance moment, the show turned rather meta erstwhile helium corrected Srisha, earlier looking towards the assemblage and saying, “This is wherefore I americium here” — akin to the infinitesimal successful the Koil Pura opus erstwhile the euphony teacher corrects his pupil during her rendition.
When the adjacent opus began, each those classical tones furthered into our hearts arsenic a question of techno sounds coursed done the ground. The dense bass of ‘Rajadhi Raja’ was met with applause, and erstwhile the infinitesimal that I was waiting for came, neither Raaja nor the assemblage disappointed. “Eppavum naan Raaja,” sang the King, smiling and looking towards his subjects, arsenic they roared and surrendered to his magic, arsenic they had done for implicit 50 years.
The adjacent song, the composer said connected the microphone, was 40-50 years old. “Pazhaya paatu,” helium sniggered with a premix of pridefulness and sarcasm arsenic Shweta Mohan began to play the titular opus from Annakilli, Raaja’s debut movie that turned 50 this year. An aged antheral sitting a enactment down maine rejoiced that helium had ne'er heard this opus live, and Shweta pulled it disconnected with easiness and grace. In particular, her humming of the interlude earlier the enactment that goes “Kanavoda sila naal” stood out.
“SPB Charan!” introduced Raaja to a large cheer; the assemblage knew it had to beryllium a classical sung by Charan’s precocious legendary begetter and dependable twin, SP Balasubrahmanyam. An electrical guitar solo prompted america each to erupt from our seats. Charan deserved each the applause for however helium pulled disconnected a opus arsenic hard arsenic ‘Madai Thiranthu.’ “Pudhu raagam padaippadhaale naanum iraivane,” went the lyrics, and adjacent though Raaja disagreed with the sentiment, the cheers from his devotees proved otherwise.
The packed stadium felt a gust of acold breeze for the archetypal clip erstwhile Karthik sang ‘Megam Kottatum’. Those who person heard the opus from Enakkul Oruvan would recognize the uncanniness of that timing. Speaking of SPB songs, Haricharan adjacent recreated the precocious singer’s classical laughter during his show of ‘Raakamma Kaiya Thattu’ with Anitha.
The performance past saw Madhu Balakrishnan’s rendition of ‘Pazhamudhircholai,’ Ananya Bhat’s ‘Oho Megam Vandhadho,’ and an awesome Vibhavari Apte Joshi singing ‘Anandha Raagam.’
It was past clip for Yugendran, introduced by Raaja arsenic Malaysia Vasudevan, the precocious legendary vocalist and begetter of Yugendran. Singing ‘Aasai Nooru Vagai’ is ne'er an casual feat, and yet it seemed similar Yugendran was over-stressing each word. Raaja noted however helium was introduced to Vasudevan backmost successful 1968. “Jeyachandran and Vasudevan are hard to teach,” joked the composer, adding that Yugendran got close what adjacent his begetter often didn’t.
Raaja then, successful a invited surprise, took implicit the vocals aft a show of ‘Meyaadha Maan’ and sang ‘Indha Maan’ and ‘Vaan Megangale.’
After Srisha’s ‘Oru Jeevan’ and Ananya Bhat’s ‘Kaattumalli’ performances — Ananya struggled with atrocious in-ear feedback — a bid of speeches, movie promotions and announcements followed.
Later, erstwhile Gangai Amaran sang ‘Poojaiketha Poovidhu Nethu Dhana Poothadhu,’ Raaja noted the mistake successful the track’s pallavi lyrics, stating who would bash pooja with flowers that bloomed the erstwhile day. “But that’s what euphony does; euphony tin marque you place specified mistakes,” helium observed. Shoba Chandrasekhar was introduced to the signifier by manager Parthiban arsenic “the parent of the ‘raaja’ ruling Tamil Nadu,” and Raaja spent rather immoderate clip discussing Shoba’s theatre origins and the unfortunate diminution of theatre music.
After Shoba’s show of ‘Kannan Oru Kai Kulanthai,’ Charan brought the much acquainted Raaja to the concert. It was thing genuinely bewitching to spot the Full Moon shining agleam successful the entity arsenic ‘Ilaya Nila’ serenaded the romantics successful the crowd.
Madhu Balakrishnan’s ‘Raja Raja Chozhan’, Karthik’s ‘Vanithamani,’ and Shweta Mohan-Haricharan’s ‘Poo Maalai Oru Paavai’ followed. Most indispensable person felt a tug successful their heartstrings erstwhile Vibhavari paid a heartfelt tribute to Asha Bhosle by singing ‘Shenbagame.’ Shweta past teamed up with Madhu for a stirring rendition of ‘Thendral Vandhu Ennai Thodum,’ aft which Karthik joined Shweta to bring the magical SPB-Chitra opus ‘Kadhal Kavithaigal Padithidum’ to life.
The From Raaja With Love ended with a spectacular show of ‘En Jodi Manja Kuruvi,’ the vigor ushering immoderate to adjacent basal up and dance.
As I returned home, I was inactive humming — if not the Raaja I saw connected Sunday, the Raaja I person for late-night metro rides continued to comfortableness me. This emotion knows nary bounds.
