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 mark 50 years of his musical legacy, coinciding with the Akshaya Patra Foundation’s silver jubilee.

The event, titled 'Ilaiyaraaja 50: A Legendary Musical Journey', will be held on January 10, 2026, at NICE Grounds in Madavara.

The event will support 'Music for Meals', an initiative of the Akshaya Patra Foundation that uses music-led programmes to raise awareness and mobilise support for providing meals to schoolchildren.

As the Akshaya Patra Foundation enters its silver jubilee year, it said the organisation currently serves nutritious mid-day meals to about 2.33 million children every school day in 23,978 government and government-aided schools.

The foundation is a key implementing partner of the Centre’s PM POSHAN programme.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Ilaiyaraaja said he agreed to perform as soon as the foundation approached him.

"The moment they mentioned it, I immediately agreed to do the concert. It was a spontaneous decision. When it is for a good cause, I have to do it," he said.

Ilaiyaraaja, widely regarded as one of India’s most influential composers, has completed five decades in the music industry, with his work spanning multiple languages and genres.

The organisers said the collaboration brings together cultural expression and social service, underscoring the role of the arts in supporting national welfare initiatives.