- Lyricist
- Pattukkottai Kalyanasundram
- Singers
- T. M. Soundararajan, P. Susheela
- Music director
- Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy
- Movie name
- Pathi Bakthi
- Movie release year
- 1958
- Lyrics added on
- 17 Apr 2024
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This song from 'Pathi Bakthi' (1958) is a poignant social commentary structured as a devotional prayer to the divine Mother Kali and various regional mother goddesses. Written by the legendary poet Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram, the song presents the stark reality of the honest poor who possess virtues like love and integrity, yet remain completely deprived of wealth and basic happiness. The lyricist uses sharp metaphors: justice slumbers blindly in the cradle of corrupt and deceitful men, truth hides in fear of wicked conspiracies, and hunger and disease compete in a race against the helpless working class. The song builds into a powerful collective plea asking the divine mother to look upon the impoverished with mercy, destroy injustice, and enable poor families to survive.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Personification (உருவகப்படுத்தல்)
“Nalla needhiyadhu kuzhandhai pola urangudhamma”
Justice is personified as a blind and deaf child sleeping in the cradle of deceivers ('Soodhukaarar thottililae... needhiyadhu kuzhandhai pola urangudhamma'). Hunger and disease are personified as athletes competing in a race ('Pasiyum piniyum pandhayampodudhu').
Edhugai (Monorhyme / Second-letter Rhyming)
“Panbum anbum nirainjirukkudhu / Panam adhai kandu odhungi nikkudhu”
The second consonant sound matches across lines, a classic Tamil poetic meter (e.g., 'Panbum' / 'Panam' / 'Thunbam' and 'Therinju' / 'Olinju').
Moonaai (Alliteration)
“Pasiyum piniyum pandhayampodudhu”
Repetition of initial phonetic sounds across words in a line (e.g., 'P' sound in 'Pasiyum piniyum pandhayampodudhu').
Irony and Satire (முரண் நகை)
“Panbum anbum nirainjirukkudhu / Panam adhai kandu odhungi nikkudhu”
The poet uses ironic juxtaposition to highlight class inequality—having good character drives money away, while sorrow claims the poor as its own relative.
Did you know?
Trivia
Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram was renowned for integrating strong communist and egalitarian philosophies into mainstream Tamil cinema lyrics. In this song, he takes the traditional Amman/Kali devotional song genre and transforms it into a socio-political critique of capitalist exploitation and corruption.
Keep listening
Songs with a similar feeling
From the same album
More songs from Pathi Bakthi
View albumSpot an issue?
Help us improve the lyrics or English translation.