Ilaiyaraja To Perform In Bengaluru For Akshaya Patra Fundraiser ‘Music For Meals’

Akshaya Patra Foundation is set to collaborate with legendary composer Ilaiyaraja for a special fundraising concert in Bengaluru next month, bringing together music and purpose on a single stage.

Titled ‘Music for Meals’, the concert will mark two significant milestones , 50 years of Ilaiyaraja’s extraordinary musical journey and 25 years of Akshaya Patra’s work in combating classroom hunger across India.

Ilaiyaraja, one of Indian cinema’s most influential composers, has created some of the most iconic film scores in the country, including Nayakan (1987), Thevar Magan (1992), Payanangal Mudivathillai (1982), Thalapathi (1991) and Vaidehi Kathirunthal (1984), among many others.

Speaking about the foundation’s growth, Chanchalapathi Dasa, Co-founder and Vice-Chairperson of the Akshaya Patra Foundation, said the organisation now operates 78 kitchens across 16 states, serving meals to approximately 23.5 lakh children every day. “Our mission is to ensure that no child is denied education because of hunger,” he said at a press conference on Monday.

Akshaya Patra is a key not-for-profit partner in the PM Poshan scheme, formerly known as the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, which aims to improve nutrition levels among school-going children.

Reflecting on his early years, Ilaiyaraja recalled beginning his career in Bengaluru as an assistant to renowned composer G.K. Venkatesh, working on over 200 Kannada films. “I know the Bengaluru audience very well from those days. There is no part of the city I haven’t walked through. The Bengaluru you see today is very different from the city I knew then,” he said.

Earlier this year, Akshaya Patra collaborated with popular progressive rock band Agam as part of the ‘Music for Meals’ initiative, which uses live music experiences to raise funds and awareness for the foundation’s feeding programmes.

Highlighting the organisation’s financial transparency, Sridhar Venkat, CEO of Akshaya Patra Foundation, said that Rs 92 of every Rs 100 donated goes directly towards programme implementation, with the remaining Rs 8 covering operational costs. “That is why we keep a very tight control on our expenses,” he said.

The ‘Music for Meals’ concert will be held on January 10, starting 7 pm onwards, at NICE Grounds, Madavara, Bengaluru. Tickets are priced from Rs 1,500 and are available online.