Bengaluru, 15 Dec

Maestro Ilaiyaraaja will hold a special concert here in the City month to mark 50 years of his musical journey, coinciding with the silver jubilee celebrations of the Akshaya Patra Foundation.

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

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

The Foundation said it currently serves nutritious mid-day meals to about 2.33 million children every school day across 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 in the City on Monday, Ilaiyaraaja said he agreed to perform as soon as the foundation approached him.

“When it is for a good cause, I have to do it," he said.

"If a concert can help fill an empty stomach and keep a child in school, then every raga and every rhythm gains deeper meaning," he added.

Ilaiyaraaja said he began working under noted composer GK Venkatesh and was involved in nearly 250 Kannada films before becoming a music director.