Interview with ILAYARAJA the genius.

[raju]

This is an interview given in January,1994. Everyone knows how
stereotypical, interviews usually are, but this one IMO is quite
unique and very simple and straight forward. Here it goes :

The interviewer was Pinkie Virani, who blindly percieves the great
man's answers as arrogant. You people decide who the arrogant one
is, from the following conversation between them.


Pinkie : Your symphony #1 is about to be released, the second
shortly to be recorded. How does it feel ?

Ilayaraja : I am at a loss to describe my mood, especially since
I've joined illustrious predecessors including my
favourite Bach.

Pinkie : Why are you doing so many films ? You really don't
need to any more, apart from the fact that every
creative person needs to take a break. Don't you
ever get fed up ?

Ilayaraja : I never feel exhausted. Only those who think of
what they are doing as a job will feel fed-up. To me,
this is not a job, it's me. Music is my relaxation.

Pinkie : When music is your single minded devotion, are you
thinking of starting a music school ?

Ilayaraja : Why should I ?

Pinkie : So that other gifted students can come to the school
and learn from it, perhaps follow in your august
footsteps.

Ilayaraja : Music cannot be taught. It has to be from within.

Pinkie : But then there may be so many young Indians who are
incredibly talented but do not know who to turn to,
for guidance. Don't you think you owe it to them,
otherwise they will not know where to go ?

Ilayaraja : I, myself, do not know where to go. I am still learning.

Pinkie : Our country's tradition has been the finest in
guru-shishya parampara. You, too, would have been nowhere
without the gurus who held your hand and let you to the
right moment. Now, don't you think it is your turn to
repay the debt ?

Ilayaraja : I pray every day for perfection.

Pinkie : You are not answering the question. What about helping
others achieve perfection in music the way you aspire to
it ?

Ilayaraja : If perfection comes, it is the end.

Pinkie : You are being abstruse. Intentionally, I think.

Ilayaraja : You are not allowing me to do my work. It's a headache
giving interviews.

Pinkie : Sometimes, it's a headache conducting one too. But, one
has to persevere. So, how do you react to Hindi film
music composers lifting your tunes ?

Ilayaraja : Just because you quote Shaw doesn't make you George Bernard
Shaw.

Pinkie : You mean you are not angry with them ; it's quite alright
with you if they continue lifting your tunes ?

Ilayaraja : I am not angry with them. I am quite happy, actually. They
are very poor. This is my gift to them.

Pinkie : Charitable, is that how you feel towards them ?

Ilayaraja : I am not tearing my shift to get inspiration. It just comes.
Once I have composed and it is out there, it is for you to
take it, if you so badly need it.

Pinkie : Are you really as much at peace within yourself as you sound ?

Ilayaraja : Peace ? I meditate through music.

Pinkie : When music gives you so much, why can't you share it's intrinsic
value with someone who would understand it as much as you
appreciate it as much as you seem to ? Why cannot you take a
shishya, just one student ?

Ilayaraja : I am a student myself, how can I teach ? And how can he be
taught ? I learned through listening to composers. Let him do
the same.

Pinkie : All right, let's just leave that alone since we are getting
nowhere with it. The pongal season is coming up and you have
taken a lot of work. Too much in fact. The rush to release
these films during Pongal puts tremendous pressure on your work.
You have wound up repeating your tunes because of this. So,
why are you doing this: money, competition, both ?

Ilayaraja : Music is repetition. Seven notes and it's all over. We are
really fooling the audience. Just permutations and combinations
of seven notes, and you can become the number one music
director in the country. Still they call me sage of music.
Now, after the Symphony, they call me maestro.

[S. Narasimhan]

This is a prime example how misleading some of these interviews could be.
The desperate attempt by the interviewer to make Raaja agree with her is
very evident. Time and again Raaja has said that he dislikes interviews
since most of the time the interviewer wantsRaaja to basically confirm
the interviewer's opnions on music etc. Clear example of a bad interview...