- Lyricist
- Vaali
- Singer
- T. M. Soundararajan
- Music director
- M. S. Vishwanathan
- Movie name
- Maadi Veettu Ezhai
- Movie release year
- 1981
- Lyrics added on
- 10 Apr 2024
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
In this poignant track from the film 'Maadi Veettu Ezhai' (1981), the protagonist expresses profound remorse for having chased material wealth at the cost of neglecting his loving wife. Seeing her now bedridden with illness, he reflects on how her love was true wealth and acknowledges that his obsession with riches was his greatest sin.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Metaphor (Uvamaani)
“Anbu ennum nalla thaen kalandhu ingu”
Compares love to pure honey ('Anbu ennum nalla thaen') and the wife's presence to an auspicious lamp ('Manaiviyin roobam mangala deepam').
Analogy / Metaphor
“Ambikai illa aalaiyam endraal”
Compares a household without the wife to a temple without its deity Ambika ('Ambikai illa aalaiyam').
Rhetorical Question
“Nee illai endraal oli yedhamma”
The speaker asks where light and direction would come from if the guiding lamp (wife) is absent.
Did you know?
Trivia
'Maadi Veettu Ezhai' (1981) features music by legendary composer M. S. Vishwanathan with emotional vocals by T. M. Soundararajan and lyrics penned by Vaali. The title phrase 'Maadi Veettu Ezhai' paradoxically translates to 'the poor person living in a multi-story mansion,' reflecting the core thematic motif of emotional poverty amid material wealth.
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