Listen: Ronnie Raphael's "Ilaveyil Ilaigalil" (Tamil)

Noted Carnatic music exponent Charulatha Mani described Reethigowlai as an "attractive and resplendent" raga that invokes feelings of love and devotion. It's no surprise, then, that composers right from Ilaiyaraaja and A. R. Rahman to Vidyasagar and James Vasanthan have employed the melodic framework to mesmerising effect. The latest to join this list is Ronnie Raphael's Ilaveyil Ilaigalil from the film Marakkar. The song is a deftly-assembled Reethigowlai piece, crooned with great finesse by Sathyaprakash Dharmar and Chinmayi Sripada, even as the composer adds lovely contemporary flourishes that make it all the more enticing. Have it a listen below, alongside some of my favourite tracks set against the backdrop of the same raga: Meetatha Oru Veenai (Poonthottam, Ilaiyaraaja), Sudum Nilavu (Thambi, Vidyasagar), Azhagana Ratchashiyae (Mudhalvan, A. R. Rahman), Jeevamshamayi (Theevandi, Kailas Menon), Kangal Irandal (Subramaniapuram, James Vasanthan), Theenda (Thulluvadho Ilamai, Yuvan Shankar Raja), and Jolium Kolium (Georgettan's Pooram, Gopi Sundar) -