Isaignani Ilaiyaraaja, whose music dominated the Indian film industry for more than four decades, has composed music for a corporate for the first time in his illustrious career.

The Maestro, who debuted as a music composer in the 1976 Tamil film Annakili , has delivered more than 7,000 soul-rending songs for over 1,000 films. Now, he has composed the corporate anthem for India's largest FMCG company Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB).

 

“It has taken Dr Ilaiyaraaja forty years to find time and compose music for a corporate, and we are just blessed that he did it for us, ” Kamlesh Sharma, Chief Communication Officer at Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB) said in a press statement.

The HCCB anthem — which was composed in Prasad studios, Chennai — begins with a soft and mellifluous tune on the flute. The anthem then gradually extends into a powerful visual of India which is traditional, and yet contemporary; always on the move, inspiring others and the world in the process.

Bearing signature of his trademark melodies, the anthem sounds simple and registers with the listeners instantly. The melody catches attention and the richness of the composition provides longevity.

“HCCB is a pan-Indian company, one of the largest FMCG companies in India, whose operations span from Kutch to Kohima and Kashmir to Kanyakumari. We needed a composition that would denote the vastness of our operation but also the simplicity of our business and the purity in our values,” elaborates Kamlesh Sharma. “I knew that only Raaja Sir would sum the scale and soul of HCCB with utmost simplicity and purity,” Kamlesh added.

“To me, HCCB is a river that flows through India with enough and more tributaries – these tributaries being the various products that HCCB manufactures. And much as India has been interacting and continues to interact and prosper along the shores of rivers, is how local communities and the larger nation interacts with and inspires HCCB. When you listen to the track that Ilaiyaraaja has composed, there is a certain flow to the tune. It feels like a river that meanders and cascades through with various layers. The entire tune is very smooth, there are no hard edges. It’s undoubtedly a masterpiece” said Prathap Suthan, Chief Creative Officer at BangInTheMiddle, who conceived the brief for the maestro.

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