- Lyricist
- Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass
- Singer
- S. C. Krishnan
- Music director
- G. Ramanathan
- Movie name
- Kathanayaki
- Movie release year
- 1955
- Lyrics added on
- 13 Sept 2025
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This humorous theatrical song snippet from Kathanayaki (1955) presents a comical, modernized enactment of the traditional myth of Savitri and Lord Yama (Emadharmaraja). After a character named Karuppu collapses on stage due to a heart failure, a Savitri-like character pleads with Lord Yama to return her husband's life. Yama playfully refuses, comically complaining about his job duty and strict schedule. The dialogue then evolves into a series of funny, pragmatic rhetorical questions contrasting nature and everyday realities—such as trees needing seeds, arrows needing bows, electric bulbs needing current, and life needing money. Through witty back-and-forth folk rhythms, lyricist Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass blends classical myth with modern everyday concepts.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Simile (Upamai)
“Aadaatha bommai pola”
Compares the character's stiff appearance to a motionless doll ('Aadaatha bommai pola') and his position on stage to an ox ('Maadu pola').
Rhetorical Questioning (Vinaa Aani)
“Viththillaamal virutcham mulaikkumaa”
Uses repetitive philosophical and absurd questions ('Will a tree sprout without a seed?', 'Will a light glow without electricity?') to emphasize impossibility.
Anaphora / Repetitive Refrain
“Adhu eppadi mulaikkum”
Repeats the quick conversational response 'Adhu eppadi...' after every condition posed by the speaker.
Did you know?
Trivia
Kathanayaki (1955) featured famous comedy songs by Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass. The lyricist was popular for inserting English terms like 'heart fail', 'duty', 'time', 'current', and 'light-u' into traditional Tamil folk and theatrical play formats, creating a hilarious subversion of classical drama.
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