Chennai: “It’s a small issue, let it go”, was the cryptic response from legendary music composer Ilayaraja when some friends referred to his unpleasant experience at the Bengaluru airport on Monday, when he was on his way back home after pilgrimage and was stopped by the security man manning the scanner stopped him.
They wanted the Isai Gnani to take up the issue strongly with the concerned authorities but he just brushed that aside. The CISF official, was obviously ignorant of the celebrity’s identity and had not understood that his insensitive act violated the passenger’s religious faith and cultural mooring; besides, the prasadam comprising a few pieces of coconut and fruit, besides flowers, posed no security threat.
“The security man just would not listen when Karthik Raja, the son of Ilayaraja sir, tried to explain to him that the family was returning home from the temples in Mangaluru and the prasad that his scanner had picked up, which obviously disturbed him no end, was only coconut pieces, bananas and flowers from the pooja offerings”, said an eyewitness requesting anonymity.
“Worse still, the guard applied some paste-like thing as if to check if the coconut contained any dangerous chemical; or perhaps, radioactive explosive! That’s when Ilayaraja sir, who was till then composed and calm, appeared upset. Son Karthik
Raja tried reasoning with the security man but drew blank. An argument ensued when Karthik started clicking pictures of the unsavoury scan-search and the security man insisted that the pictures be deleted”, said another eyewitness.
The situation was brought under control when a senior security officer intervened and let the Maestro and family pass through with their prasadam.
He also apologised to the composer while chastising his junior, who appeared to mumble he was just doing his duty. A robot might have behaved better.
