Ilaiyaraaja moved by greetings from fans for Padma Vibhushan

The government of India recently announced the names of 85 Padma awardees, including three Padma Vibhushan, nine Padma Bhushan and 73 Padma Shri awards.

Music composer Ilaiyaraaja, from Tamil Nadu, has been named as a Padma Vibhushan awardee for 2018. Since then he has been inundated with greetings and wishes from thousands of people across various segments of the society.

The music composer, known for films like Shabhash Kundu(2017), En Rasavin Manasile 2 (2017) and Idam Porul Yaeval (2017), is moved by the number of greetings he has received from fans.

"I thank music lovers spread all over the world, political leaders, film industry professionals and those from the music industry and the media, all of whom who have been wishing me in a heartfelt way, either in person or on phone right from the minute the Padma Vibhushan was announced," Ilaiyaraaja said.

"Hundreds have been meeting me and greeting me every day from the day the award was announced. These wishes and your love are what have given me more enthusiasm and drive. I am moved. By the grace of God and your love, I will continue to do well my work for the people. Thank you all one more time for getting me drenched in the rain of love," the music director, who holds an iconic status in Tamil film music industry, added. 

Ilaiyaraaja has scored music for over a 1,000 films. He won the National Award for Best Music Direction thrice (1984,1986,1989) and Best Background Score twice (2009, 2016). In 2010, he was conferred the Padma Bhushan award, and in 2015, was presented the Centenary Award for Lifetime Achievement at the International Film Festival of India.