Ilaiyaraaja, in most events, is always found keeping to himself, smiling when needed and generally keeping a calm demeanor. His visit to Google’s office in the US on March 15, soon after he was conferred with the Padma Vibhushan, proved that the veteran music composer can be funny too. When asked to share something from his life, Ilaiyaraaja, like a typical dad who loves to share funny stories of his children, began with a story about his eldest son Karthik Raja.
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“When Karthik was six months old, during meal times, my mother and wife would be serving, and Karthik would be next to me, without any dress, or underwear. When I would eat, they would fret that there’s no side dish. I’d say, ‘How are you saying there’s no side dish? He’s right here next to me,’,” he shares.
Ilaiyaraaja shares another anecdote with his son and filmmaker Bharathiraja.
“Bharathiraja would work on a script, thinking a lot and work really hard. Karthik, the baby he was, would pass urine on his script book! The script would get erased. When Bharathiraja would tell me this, I’d ask him why is he writing if his script gets erased,” he shares, amidst a lot of laughter among the audience.
He performs, too, along with other musicians and singers.
Watch the video here: