- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singer
- T. M. Soundararajan
- Music director
- P. Aadhinarayana Rao
- Movie name
- Mangayar Ullam Mangatha Selvam
- Movie release year
- 1962
- Lyrics added on
- 21 Jul 2024
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This poignant song depicts profound emotional anguish and a plea against injustice. The singer cries out to a motherly figure, grieving how innocent actions and pure love have met with suffering, deceit, and betrayal. The lyrics address the ruler's lack of justice and humanity's loss of empathy, contrasting the royalty of a child's heritage with the impoverished state of their current plight. Ultimately, the song carries a message of resilient hope through motherhood, assuring that love will sustain the child and light will eventually break through the darkness.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Edhugai (Second-letter Rhyme)
“Seiyaadha paavam / Seradha thunbam”
The second consonant sound 'i' matches across consecutive lines, creating a classic Tamil rhyming rhythm.
Metaphor (Uruvagam)
“Annai maarbilae thanga malar”
The child is metaphorically described as a 'thanga malar' (golden flower) placed upon the mother's chest.
Antithesis / Irony
“Anbu vaithaal adhu thunbam / Nalla uravu kondaal adhu dhrogam”
Contrasts virtuous actions like love, affection, and bonding with their tragic and opposite consequences like suffering, sin, and betrayal.
Rhetorical Questioning
“Ungal needhi engae / Manidhargalae manam engae”
Directly questions authority and society to highlight moral bankruptcy.
Did you know?
Trivia
'Mangayar Ullam Mangatha Selvam' (1962) was a bilingual film (made concurrently in Telugu as 'Swarnamanjari') produced and composed by P. Aadhinarayana Rao under the Anjali Pictures banner, starring Gemini Ganesan and Anjali Devi. Kannadasan's emotive lyrics combined with T. M. Soundararajan's expressive vocal delivery made this song an enduring tragic masterpiece.
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