What unites Ilaiyaraaja and Sanjay is a spirit of cultural continuity, paired with an urge for creative change. Ilaiyaraaja’s music always sounded new; within a moment of reflection, one realises that it is a product of intense erudition. This marked the beginning of yet another trajectory in Ilaiyaraaja’s musical journey—one that connects directly to Pallyezhuchi Paavai Paadagal. Ilaiyaraaja’s 30 songs are a spiritual exploration, and it might be a stretch to say that they celebrate only Lord Shiva, the deity at Thiruvannamalai. Annamalai argued that “It [good Tamil] provides Tamil a continuity with the past that is imagined to be unbroken and thus its authenticity is equated with immutability.”