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Oru Thalai Ragam album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Ada Manmathan Ratchikkanum

From Oru Thalai Ragam · 1980

Lyricist
T. Rajendar
Singer
Jolly Abraham
Music director
T. Rajendar
Movie name
Oru Thalai Ragam
Movie release year
1980
Lyrics added on
9 Aug 2022

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Meena reena seetha geetha radha vedha
Ada namma paarvathi varaadaa
Adadaa adadaa paaththukkodaa
Saeivolae kaamanthakaaraa thutchaa
Roadla pengalae nadamaada mudiyalailaa
Unga kann pattaalae karpam undaagidum pola irukkae
Unda sathaiyellaam thuru pidikka porathudaa
Neenga ellaam nalla iruppaelaa
Ungala ellaam antha eswaran thaandaa ratchikkanum
Enna sonnael eswaran ratchikkanumaa
Engal antha manmathan ratchiththaalae pothumae
Ada manmathan ratchikanum
Intha mangaiyar kaalaigalae
Mangaiyai mayakkum manthira poojai
Ennenna solladaa
Ilam pengalai velladaa
Ada manmathan ratchikanum
Intha mangaiyar kaalaigalae
Mangaiyai mayakkum manthira poojai
Ennenna solladaa
Ilam pengalai velladaa
Maadi veettu lalitha mayangi ninnaa azhgaa
Kodi veettu geedhaa kulungigittae sirichcha
Kovalan kanda antha kaala madhavi
Adi kevalam enbaen unthan munnae maalathi
Echchil ooravaikkum paadhusha
Yaenga vaikkum en usha
Ada nimmiya kandu kummiyadippaen
Rammiya kandu vimbi vedippaen
Nalinaththai kaattum nalini
Nalungaamal varuvathai kavani
Rasanaiyai thoondum rathi nee
Naalthorum varuven pavani
Naan naalthorum varuven pavani
Kavithaiyilae vaazhnthu varum kavitha
En ragaththilae mayangi vaadi radha
Ada pakkaththu veettu paingili
En sorkkaththai kaattum sundhari
Ada pakkaththu veettu paingili
En sorkkaththai kaattum sundhari
Premalatha un premai satha
Premalatha un premai satha
Urakkam illai sudha irakkam kaattu sheelaa
Marakkamaattaen leelaa
Neelaampari raagam unakkaga neelaa
Ondrum sollamal povaayo
Neelaampari raagam unakkaga neelaa
Ondrum sollamal povaayo
En kalaa ada kalaa
Santhikka thudikkum shanthi
Ninthikka ninaippaal jeyanthi
Idaiyinil kidaiththaal vasanthi
Naan evalidam povaen mayangi
Naan evalidam povaen mayangi
Naan evalidam povaen mayangi
Meena, Reena, Seetha, Geetha, Radha, Vedha...
Look, our Parvathi is coming, man!
Oh my, oh my, check her out, man!
Shoo! You lustful rascals, you good-for-nothings!
Women can't even walk freely on the streets!
It seems someone could get pregnant just from your stare!
All that flesh on you is going to rot away!
Will you lot ever prosper in life?
Only Lord Shiva himself can save you all!
What did you say? Lord Shiva has to save us?
It's enough if Manmatha (the God of Love) saves us!
Oh, Manmatha must protect us,
we young men craving these women!
Tell us the magic ritual to charm a girl,
tell me what it is, man,
to win over these young girls!
Oh, Manmatha must protect us,
we young men craving these women!
Tell us the magic ritual to charm a girl,
tell me what it is, man,
to win over these young girls!
Lalitha from the upstairs house stood mesmerized and pretty,
Geetha from the corner house giggled and laughed,
The ancient Madhavi whom Kovalan once loved,
is nothing before you, oh Malathi!
You are a mouth-watering sweet Badusha,
my Usha, who leaves me yearning!
Seeing Nimmy, I clap and dance with joy,
seeing Ramya, I burst with excitement!
Graceful Nalini displays her elegance,
watch how flawlessly she walks by!
You are Rathi (Goddess of Love), sparking my desire,
I will make my rounds every single day,
I will make my rounds every single day!
Kavitha, who lives inside poetry,
come fall under the spell of my melody, Radha!
Oh, that lovely parrot of a girl next door,
the beauty who shows me paradise!
Oh, that lovely parrot of a girl next door,
the beauty who shows me paradise!
Premalatha, I am constantly lost in your trance,
Premalatha, I am constantly lost in your trance,
I have no sleep, Sudha! Have some mercy, Sheela!
I will never forget you, Leela!
A Neelambari raga is just for you, Neela,
will you just leave without saying a word?
A Neelambari raga is just for you, Neela,
will you just leave without saying a word?
My Kala, oh Kala!
Santhi longs to meet me,
Jayanthi is ready to scold me,
and if Vasanthi comes along in between,
to whom will I run, hopelessly enchanted?
to whom will I run, hopelessly enchanted?
to whom will I run, hopelessly enchanted?
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

The song opens with an amusing dialogue where local conservative elders chastise college youths for street-side flirting, to which the boys cheekily respond that Cupid (Manmatha) is their ultimate protector. What follows is a high-energy, playful sequence wherein the singer lists various female names using T. Rajendar's trademark rhyming wordplay, highlighting the lighthearted romantic fantasies and crushes of youth.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Iyaibu (End Rhyme) and Wordplay

Urakkam illai sudha irakkam kaattu sheelaa / Marakkamaattaen leelaa

T. Rajendar uses repetitive end-rhymes matching girl names with descriptive attributes (e.g., Sudha - Sheela - Leela - Neela).

Metaphor

Echchil ooravaikkum paadhusha / Yaenga vaikkum en usha

Comparing Usha to 'Badusha', a rich Tamil sweet that makes one's mouth water.

Allusion

Kovalan kanda antha kaala madhavi / Adi kevalam enbaen unthan munnae maalathi

Reference to Madhavi and Kovalan from the classical Tamil epic Silappatikaram to hyperbolically elevate Malathi's beauty.

Did you know?

Trivia

Oru Thalai Ragam (1980) marked the brilliant debut of T. Rajendar as a director, composer, and lyricist. The album became a massive musical hit across Tamil Nadu, famous for introducing TR's signature fast-paced, highly rhyming lyric style that incorporated scores of proper names in single songs.

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