Music is the only medium by which everyone is connected in the

The words of Ilaiyaraaja — “Music is the only medium by which everyone is connected in the world.” — shine with the eternal truth that sound is the great unifier of humankind. For nations may be divided by language, by borders, by creed and custom, yet when a melody arises, it speaks in a tongue that no one needs to learn. Music pierces through difference and touches the soul directly, as sunlight falls upon all without asking who is worthy. It is not merely entertainment, but the hidden thread that binds humanity into one vast chorus.

The ancients knew this truth well. Pythagoras, gazing upon the heavens, declared that the cosmos itself was built upon harmony, that the stars and planets moved in the rhythm of the music of the spheres. The Vedic seers of India sang hymns that they believed held the power to unite human beings with the divine. In both East and West, it was understood that music is not of man alone — it is of the universe, and because it is of the universe, all living souls can hear it and know it.

History gives us living examples of this power. When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, Leonard Bernstein conducted Beethoven’s Ode to Joy at the Brandenburg Gate. The words were altered to say “Ode to Freedom,” and people from East and West, long divided, wept together. In that moment, music became what Ilaiyaraaja declares: the single medium that connected every person present, without the need for politics or speeches. A few notes accomplished what decades of arguments could not.

Ilaiyaraaja himself embodies this truth. Rising from humble beginnings in rural India, he created songs that transcended the boundaries of Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, and beyond. Millions who did not share the same tongue shared in his music, and through it, felt themselves joined. He did not need to speak every dialect, for the melody itself carried his message to every heart. His life testifies to the power of sound as a bridge between worlds.

The wisdom here is profound: every culture, no matter how far removed, has music. A child in Africa beating a drum, a monk in Tibet chanting a hymn, a violinist in Europe tracing sorrow through strings — all are expressions of the same spirit. And though their sounds differ, their essence is the same: the desire to express what cannot be spoken, the longing to connect beyond the self. Thus, when Ilaiyaraaja says that music connects everyone, he reminds us that our divisions are illusions. Beneath them, our hearts beat in rhythm with one another.

The lesson, therefore, is to embrace music not only as art but as a tool of unity. When words fail, let music speak. When conflict divides, let music heal. When despair weighs heavy, let song lift the spirit. If we would listen more deeply to the melodies of others — their culture, their voice, their truth — we would find ourselves less strangers and more brothers.

Practical wisdom follows: immerse yourself in the music of other lands. Listen not only to what is familiar, but to what is foreign, for in doing so you will taste the universality of the human soul. Share your own songs, not to boast, but to offer your heart to the world. And above all, let music be part of your daily life — not as background noise, but as a sacred bridge, reminding you always that you are not alone.

Thus, O seeker, remember Ilaiyaraaja’s words: music is the only medium by which everyone is connected in the world. In every note is a thread of unity, in every rhythm the heartbeat of humanity. Let this truth guide you, so that wherever you go, you will hear not strangers, but fellow travelers, joined with you in the eternal song.