Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will present the award to Ilayaraja at Kanakakkunnu Palace here during the inaugural ceremony of the Nishagandi festival, the annual dance and music event commencing on January 20.

Iconic composer Ilayaraja has been chosen for this year's prestigious Nishagandhi Puraskaram, instituted by the Kerala Government. The award comprises a sum of Rs 1,50,000, citation and a statuette. The 72-year-old maestro is being conferred the honour for his artistic excellence and contribution to the Indian film music industry, state Tourism Minister A P Anil Kumar told reporters here last evening.
A recipient of the Padma Bhushan, Tamil Nadu-born Ilayaraja is hailed for raising the bar of mainstream music by fusing Indian folk music with various elements of Western classical to create a new genre that is hugely popular across regions and generations.Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will present the award to Ilayaraja at Kanakakkunnu Palace here during the inaugural ceremony of the Nishagandi festival, the annual dance and music event commencing on January 20.
A panel, comprising vice-Chancellor of the Malayalam University and the former Chief Secretary K Jayakumar, senior Journalist Gouridasan Nair, Kerala Tourism Secretary G Kamala Vardhana Rao and Tourism Director P I Sheikh Pareeth, selected the legendary musician for the honour.
Anil Kumar also released the Nishagandhi brochure for 2016 and inaugurated the 30-sec promotional video of the fest. The eight day-long Nishagandhi festival will begin this year with classical sitar concert by Anoushka Shankar, the daughter of legendary instrumentalist Pandit Ravi Shankar.

Do all lucky people who possess wealth, gold, riches and comfort have peace?

Devotion to the Divine will give you bliss, prosperity and peace. - Baba

Do all lucky people who possess wealth, gold, riches and comfort have peace? Are all highly learned people, or those of extraordinary beauty, or of superhuman physical strength, in peace with themselves and the world? No! The reason for this lack of peace in many is that they forget the divine basis of creation. All lives lived without faith and devotion to the Supreme Lord are despicable lives; they are all wasted chances. It is indeed very strange! Your genuine basis, the fountain of your joy, your ultimate fundamental(paramartha) principle, has become unnecessary and unsought for; on the other hand, the world with its tinsel tawdriness has for you become necessary and desirable. Even the most comfortable house, equipped with all the luxuries and heaps of treasure that people crave, is worthless to endow you with peace. Peace can be won only by surrender to God, who is the very core of one’s being, the very source of all life and living.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Thought for the Day

Develop righteousness. Live and act in joy and love. You will attain salvation without fail. - Baba

Today everybody is enthusiastic about New Year’s Day. For a true devotee, every day is a festival. Consider every minute, every day as new and live in joy. All great men and women have sanctified their lives only by serving humanity. Service is not merely helping people in difficulty. Every limb in the human body has been granted by God for karmopasana (worshipping God through service).Karmopasana is the only means by which the human life can be sanctified. So undertake selfless service, and when you do good work, you will enjoy peace in life. Cultivate good qualities and prepare yourself for sacrifices. Sacrifice bestows eternal bliss. Share your education and wealth with your fellow human beings. In fact, God is the real owner of your earnings. As God’s trustee, use your earnings properly. Constantly contemplate on God with faith that He is always with you and win over your demonic qualities.

Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba