Ilaiyaraaja awarded with Vocational Excellence Award, got the award for contribution in the field of music

Veteran music director Ilaiyaraaja was bestowed with the Vocational Excellence Award in Coimbatore. The award was conferred on the veteran musician in recognition of his work in the music world. At the felicitations ceremony, several organizations and industrialists offered bouquets of flowers and shawls to him. 

According to news agency ANI, Ilaiyaraaja was awarded the Rotary Club Vocational Excellence Award for his contribution to the field of music. His illustrious career spans over four decades. During this time, he composed music for more than a thousand films. He has left his indelible mark on the music industry.

Ilaiyaraaja is among the legendary and celebrated Indian musicians. His work in Tamil and Telugu cinema is his claim to fame. He has also created magic with his music in Malayalam, Kannada, and Hindi films. Ilaiyaraaja was born on 3 June 1943 in a poor Dalit family in Pannaipuram in Theni district of Tamil Nadu. His real name was Gnanathesigan, which was later changed to "Raja" by his guru Dhanraj Master and "Ilaiyaraaja" by producer Panchu Arunachalam. He is known as "Isaigyanani" (music gyanani).

Ilaiyaraaja entered the world of music at the age of 14, when he joined his stepbrother's music troupe. In 1968, he learned Western classical music from Professor Dhanraj in Chennai and won a gold medal in classical guitar from Trinity College, London. "Annakili" was his first film, which made him a star overnight. He has composed over 7,000 songs, scored over 1,400 films, and performed over 20,000 concerts. He was the first Indian composer to record songs on a computer for the film "Vikram" in 1986.