Around two decades ago, the Indian-American population started changing the story of the Asian community in the Silicon Valley. Now they have rewritten it. It’s spiked and fanned out to more affluent towns offering excellent jobs and great education for their kids. Cupertino is one of them. Apparently till the early eighties the place had vast apple orchards. Ironically, today it houses the headquarters of Apple. Who doesn’t have a cousin in the Bay Area? It’s infested with successful Indians living the great American dream. They look for the tiniest excuse to deck up in all their finery and meet at concerts or festivities. Indian culture is inculcated and is probably more vibrant here.
When Kala Iyer announced that Ilaiyaraja would visit various cities for a seven concert tour there was an air of anticipation. Some thought the lady, on the wrong side of 70, had bitten off more than she could chew. She’s been hosting musicians and arranging concerts for well over three decades. With the help of the maestro’s confidante Sriram she meticulously planned the tour and it has seen a rousing response.
For anyone who spent their teens in Tamil Nadu in the eighties, Ilaiyaraja has been an integral part of their lives. His songs defined and awakened emotions untapped hitherto. His music can’t be explained. It has to be felt and experienced. It was not just the number of songs he churned out, but the class and remarkable consistency. A dam of sheer melody just burst open and listeners were swept away, drenched and drowning, but experiencing something closest to the divine. You will find this generation of Indians here, yearning for a slice of nostalgia. Nobody can take them back to the carefree days like Raja can.
Concert tours are not casual affairs for the maestro. A stickler for perfection, he’s been rehearsing with the musicians for well over one month. Frenec (pronounced Frank) a drummer who plays for the best Jazz musicians has flown down too. It just took one phone call. “I respect the man and his extraordinary music,” says Frenec who was the percussionist for all the songs in ‘Needhane En Ponvasantham’. There’s an air of anticipation at the San Jose State University. Cars snake in at a snail’s pace. There are two concerts on consecutive days, one Telugu and the other Tamil. Both are sold out. The ladies are attired in traditional silk saris and bling jewellery.
The maestro strides on stage to a deafening standing ovation. He starts off every concert with ‘Janani, Janani’. Karthik follows up with an energetic rendition of ‘Om, Shivoham’. That brings the house down and sets the tone.
Raja has made it very clear during rehearsals that the songs to be sung should not be announced. It heightens the anticipation and a loud cheer goes up in recognition as the initial strains of any song is played.
The cherubic Chitra is suffering from a bad bout of cough but once she starts singing, the notes seem to be dipped in honey. The loudest cheers are reserved for her followed by Karthik who sends the teeny-boppers wild. He sings numbers originally sung by voices as diverse as SPB, Yesudas and Vijay Prakash and does a terrific job even earning the maestro’s approval. The crowds go wild, cheering and singing along.
Most of the musicians in the orchestra have been with Raja for not less than a couple of decades. Jerry has been playing the violin right from ‘Anna Kili’. There’s Sada who plays the guitar and Napolean who has a bagful of flutes in every conceivable size. Fans recognise them too, seek pictures with them and appreciate their contribution. Raja introduces each one of them while specifying their role. Around thirty five songs are meticulously selected, rehearsed diligently and sung at each concert. Nobody budges till the very end.
The next morning I spot the genius, digging into a bowl of fruits, alone. I’m tempted to approach and strike a conversation, but decide to leave him to a few moments of introspection and anonymity. His music speaks volumes for him.
