Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented music composer Ilaiyaraaja with honorary doctorate. In the 36th convocation ceremony at the Gandhigram Rural Institute, Ilaiyaraaja and instrumentalist Umayalpuram K Sivaraman were conferred honorary doctorates.
The music maestro has composed over 7,000 songs and created background scores for over 1,000 films. He has also performed in over 2,000 concerts. In 2012, he received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the highest Indian recognition given to people in the field of performing arts. Two years before that, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian honour in India. In 2018, was conferred the Padma Vibhushan - the second-highest civilian award by the government of India.
In July 2022, he was nominated MP in Rajya Sabha.
Growing up in a rural area, Ilaiyaraaja was exposed to a wide range of Tamil folk music in his formative years. He started his career at the age of 14 with a travelling musical troupe named Pavalar Brothers, headed by his elder brother. He worked with the group for the next 10 years. Even after decades, his music is known for its rhythmic folk qualities along with the use of Carnatic Ragas.
The Prime Minister flew to the Madurai airport via a special flight on Friday. He was received by Governor RN Ravi, ministers KKSSR Ramachandran, Thangam Thennarasu, and P Moorthy, Director General of Police Sylendra Babu, and Madurai Collector Aneesh Shekhar among others. He was also greeted by opposition party members including former chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam of the AIADMK and other BJP leaders.