Ilaiyaraaja to Perform Special Concert in Bengaluru to Mark 50 Years in Music
Bengaluru: Maestro Ilaiyaraaja will hold a special concert here next month to celebrate 50 years of his musical legacy to coincide with the silver jubilee of Akshaya Patra Foundation.
Titled ‘Ilaiyaraaja 50: A Legendary Musical Journey’, the event will be held on January 10, 2026 at NICE Grounds, Madavara.
The event will support ‘Music for Food’, an initiative of Akshaya Patra Foundation, which uses music-focused programs to raise awareness and mobilize support towards providing meals to school children.
As Akshaya Patra Foundation enters its silver jubilee year, the organization currently serves nutritious midday meals to around 2.33 million children every school day in 23,978 government and government-aided schools, he said.
The Foundation is the key implementing partner of the Centre’s PM POSHAN programme.
Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Ilaiyaraaja said he agreed to appear on stage when the foundation approached him.
“As soon as they said this, I immediately agreed to do the concert. It was a spontaneous decision. If it is for a good cause, I should do it,” he said.
Widely regarded as one of India’s most influential composers, Ilaiyaraaja has completed five decades in the music industry with his work spanning multiple languages and genres.
Organizers said the collaboration brings together cultural expression and social service and underlines the role of the arts in supporting national welfare initiatives.
