Complaint filed against Ilaiyaraaja for hurting sentiments of Christians

Christuva Nallena Iyyakkam, a Christian organisation, has lodged a police complaint against veteran music director Ilaiyaraaja for allegedly making statements that hurt the sentiments of Christians.

In their complaint to the police, a copy of which is available with Cinestaan.com, the general secretary of the organisation, R Dhayanidhi said, "Christians world over believe that Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross and then was resurrected on the third day. This is one of the core beliefs of Christianity.

"This week, when we Christians the world over are preparing to celebrate the day of his resurrection (Easter), music director Ilaiyaraaja has made some degrading statements about the resurrection of Christ in a video clip on the Internet. This has not only hurt Christians, but has also caused great anger and outrage. According to the Indian Penal Code, hurting religious sentiments is a crime. Therefore, we request you to initiate action as per law against Ilaiyaraaja, who has deeply hurt the sentiments of Christians."

Ilaiyaraaja, who was recently honoured with the Padma Vibhushan, is one of the most respected and celebrated music directors from the Tamil film industry. He has scored music for over a 1,000 films.

The video of the music director speaking about the resurrection of Christ has been making rounds on social media. However, the source of the video has not yet been verified.

Here is the English translation of the speech:

"This is a song on Ramana Maharishi. After writing this song, I did not feel like writing other songs. Please don't think that I am talking something irrelevant. Of all the great enlightened souls who appeared in this world, there can be no one else like Bhagawan Ramana Maharishi."

"The veteran music director then went on to speak of the documentaries on YouTube that deny that Jesus resurrected from the dead: "They say that resurrection happened in the case of Jesus Christ after he died. I have this habit of watching documentaries on YouTube when I have the time. In that, they say resurrection never happened. Historical proofs have been provided to prove that. The concept on which Chrisitanity was based and grew for 2,000 years hinges on his resurrection. They have proven it historically and put it on YouTube."

"Whether, it happened or not, but the real resurrection happened to only one person and that is Bhagawan Ramana Maharishi. That too, when he was a 16-year-old kid. At that age, he was overcome by the fear of death. He wanted to see what it would be to be dead. He decided to lie down and hold his breath. His blood circulation and his heart stopped. His body turned cold and he died. He went to the state of realisation. He went to that state and found what was inside a human. He could see his body lying there. After knowing all that happens, he came back to life in the very same body."