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Isaimozhi
Sankarlal album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Ada Vaada Kannu

From Sankarlal · 1982

Lyricist
Pulamaipithan
Singer
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
Music director
Gangai Amaran
Movie name
Sankarlal
Movie release year
1982
Lyrics added on
6 Jan 2023

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Ada vaada kannu raja endru paadum
Mazhai megam enthan thaai pol vanthu thedum
Ada vaada kannu raja endru paadum
Mazhai megam enthan thaai pol vanthu thedum
Malar thottil ingae podum
Mana kannil indrae
Thaai paadum thaalaattai naan ketkkiraen
Ada vaada kannu raja endru paadum
Mazhai megam enthan thaai pol vanthu thedum
Chiththiraiyil pooththaval intha poovai
Shenbaga poo kangalil enna paarvai
Aththai magal kannamo anthi vaanam
Yaar varavai kandathaal intha naanam
Seedhana kaattrum senthamizh paattum
Ondrinil ondru sangamam indru
Eththanaiyo karpanai ingu naam kaanalaam
Ada vaada kannu raja endru paadum
Mazhai megam enthan thaai pol vanthu thedum
……………..
Saaralilae poonguyil raagam paadum
Neeraruvi mellavae thaalam podum
……………..
Male :……………..
Thaen mazhalai pillaigal aadi paadum
Senthamizho ennaiyum pillai aakkum
Sooriyan ingae suduvathum illai
Koodiya kaigal viduvathum illai
Vaa magalae vanthu paar sorkkam ingillaiyo
Ada vaada kannu raja endru paadum
Mazhai megam enthan thaai pol vanthu thedum
Malar thottil ingae podum
Mana kannil indrae
Thaai paadum thaalaattai naan ketkkiraen
Ada vaada kannu raja endru paadum
Mazhai megam enthan thaai pol vanthu thedum
……………..
Male :……………..
Singing, "Oh come, my darling boy,"
the raincloud comes looking for me like my mother.
Singing, "Oh come, my darling boy,"
the raincloud comes looking for me like my mother.
It hangs a cradle of flowers here,
and today, in my mind's eye,
I hear the lullaby my mother sings.
Singing, "Oh come, my darling boy,"
the raincloud comes looking for me like my mother.
This young woman blossomed in the month of Chithirai,
what a look in her eyes like champak flowers!
My cousin's cheeks are like the evening sky,
seeing whose arrival did she feel this shyness?
The gifted breeze and the sweet Tamil song
merge into one today.
We can see so many wonders of imagination here.
Singing, "Oh come, my darling boy,"
the raincloud comes looking for me like my mother.
...
In the light drizzle, the sweet cuckoo sings a melody,
while the waterfall softly keeps the beat.
...
...
Sweetly babbling children dance and sing,
and pure Tamil turns me into a child too.
The sun does not scorch here,
and hands once joined never let go.
Come, my girl, look and see—isn't heaven right here?
Singing, "Oh come, my darling boy,"
the raincloud comes looking for me like my mother.
It hangs a cradle of flowers here,
and today, in my mind's eye,
I hear the lullaby my mother sings.
Singing, "Oh come, my darling boy,"
the raincloud comes looking for me like my mother.
...
...
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Chorus
Male
Male
Male
Male
Chorus

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

Ada Vaada Kannu Raja is a tender and evocative song from the 1982 Tamil film Sankarlal, celebrating maternal affection, idyllic nature, and innocent joy. The singer compares rain clouds to a mother calling out affectionately and singing lullabies. Nature itself creates a cradle of flowers, while the gentle breeze, pure Tamil poetry, singing cuckoos, and trickling waterfalls merge into a harmonious paradise. As children babble and dance, even the speaker feels rejuvenated into a child by the sweetness of the Tamil language. It paints an enchanting vision of a paradise on earth where the sun never scorches, loved ones never part, and heaven resides in the embrace of peaceful nature.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Uvamai (Simile)

“Mazhai megam enthan thaai pol vanthu thedum”

Compares rain clouds coming to comfort the speaker to a mother searching for her child using 'pol' (like).

Personification

“Neeraruvi mellavae thaalam podum”

Attributes human musical actions to nature—cuckoo birds singing melodies and waterfalls beating the rhythm.

Monai (Initial Alliteration)

“Seedhana kaattrum senthamizh paattum”

Repetition of the initial 'S' sound ('Seedhana' and 'senthamizh') creating a soothing melodic flow.

Metaphor

“Aththai magal kannamo anthi vaanam”

Compares the blush on the cousin's cheek directly to the colors of the evening sky.

Did you know?

Trivia

Sankarlal (1982) starred Kamal Haasan in a dual role. The musical score was a rare joint effort involving both Ilaiyaraaja and Gangai Amaran, who stepped in to complete tracks when Ilaiyaraaja faced intense scheduling pressures. The song remains celebrated for S. P. Balasubrahmanyam's emotional vocal rendition and Pulamaipithan's rich imagery.

Keep listening

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