- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singers
- Seerkazhi Govindarajan, Chorus
- Music director
- M. S. Vishwanathan
- Movie name
- School Master
- Movie release year
- 1973
- Lyrics added on
- 30 Mar 2024
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This uplifting moral song from the film 'School Master' serves as a prayer and a guide for young students. It opens with the famous initial couplet from Thiruvalluvar's Thirukkural, establishing that God is the origin of all creation just as the letter 'A' is the origin of language. The lyricist Kannadasan outlines fundamental life values: venerating mother, father, teacher, and God as the four supreme guides.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Thirukkural Allusion (Literary Quotation)
“Agara mudhala ezhuthellaam / Aadhi bhgavan mudhalaagum”
The song opens directly with the first couplet of Thirukkural ('Agara mudhala ezhuthellaam...'), anchoring modern film lyrics in classical Tamil ethics.
Ethugai (Second-letter Rhyming)
“Naalum valarum pillaiyin nenjil / Naadum mozhiyum kannaagum”
The second consonants of consecutive key words rhyme across lines, such as 'Naalum' and 'Naadum', enhancing rhythmic symmetry.
Uvamaani / Metaphor
“Naadum mozhiyum kannaagum”
Compares nation ('naadu') and language ('mozhi') to the two eyes ('kann') of a growing child, stressing their vital importance.
Did you know?
Trivia
The opening lines are taken directly from Thirukkural, the foundational ethical text of Tamil literature composed by Thiruvalluvar. Due to its deeply moral and inclusive message, this M. S. Viswanathan composition was widely adopted as a morning prayer anthem in various schools across Tamil Nadu.
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