June 2 is celebrated as the birthday of renowned composer Ilaiyaraaja, a day when fans and film personalities pay tribute to his extensive influence on Indian music. Although Ilaiyaraaja was born on June 3, 1943, he chose to observe his birthday a day earlier to honor former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, whose birthday coincides with his. Ilaiyaraaja expressed that he had not contributed as significantly to Tamil society as Karunanidhi and felt it was inappropriate for both to share the same celebration day. This year, several political leaders and actors, including M K Stalin and Kamal Haasan, shared their wishes for the maestro, acknowledging his contributions to music. On the professional front, Ilaiyaraaja is set to collaborate with filmmakers Mari Selvaraj and Karthik Subbaraj on new projects, following his recent releases, Mylanji and Antony. Notably, he made history last year by debuting his first Western classical symphony in London, becoming the first Asian film composer to achieve this feat.