(This article is authored by Alar) 

Years of hard work and dedication have led Ilaiyaraaja to get conferred with an honorary doctorate by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The maestro who has composed music for over 7000 songs initially debuted as a music composer for the Tamil film industry for Annakili in 1976 and earned success with his renditions of major melodies belonging to Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam cinema songs throughout 70-90s. 

In July 2022, Ilaiyaraaja became a member of the Rajya Sabha, India's upper house of the Parliament, under a presidential appointment. With an accolade of an honorary doctorate from the Prime Minister, the illustrious composer now has another crown to wear. The veteran musician received the honor on November 11 - Friday at Dindigul Gandhigram Rural University's graduation ceremony in the presence of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin and Governor RN Ravi. 

It's worth noting that Ilayaraja already has the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan awards. He composed the music for the 1984 Malayalam movie My Dear Kuttichathan, which was India's first stereoscopic 3D production. The song "Naanthaan Ungappanda" by Ilaiyaraaja from the 1981 movie "Ram Lakshman" was played during the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics. 

Instrumentalist Umayalpuram K Sivaraman received the honorary doctorate alongside Ilayaraja. Prime Minister Modi graced the occasion of the 36th Gandhigram Rural Institute Convocation ceremony in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu. After Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Morarji Desai, and Rajiv Gandhi, Narendra Modi has become the fifth Prime Minister to visit Gandhigram University. 

'டாக்டர்' இளையராஜா

காந்தி கிராமிய பல்கலைக் கழக பட்டமளிப்பு விழா.#Ilaiyaraaja pic.twitter.com/f81NwIu8KC

— OnlyShankar (@Vinojasan) November 11, 2022