- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singers
- T. M. Soundararajan, Chorus
- Music director
- G. V. Prakash Kumar
- Movie name
- Aayirathil Oruvan (2010)
- Movie release year
- 2010
- Lyrics added on
- 2 Oct 2018
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This classic anthem celebrates freedom, human rights, and universal brotherhood. By drawing parallels with nature—where birds fly freely, ocean waves dance effortlessly, and natural forces like wind, ocean, and time discriminate against no one—the song highlights that human bondage is an artificial construct. It calls upon all enslaved and oppressed people across the earth to unite under one sky and earth, shedding fear and demanding the fundamental right to liberty.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Simile (Upamai)
“Atho antha paravai pola vaazhavendum / Itho intha alaigal pola aadavendum”
Compares human freedom and joy to the unrestricted life of birds and the continuous motion of sea waves.
Personification
“Kaatru nammai adimai vilagavillaiyae / Kadal neerum adimai endru suduvathillaiyae”
Attributes human concepts of prejudice and slavery to natural elements like wind, ocean water, time, and love, emphasizing their innate neutrality.
Anaphora / Repetition (Emoni)
“Orae vaanilae orae mannilae / Orae geetham urimai geetham paaduvom”
Repetition of the phrase 'Orae' (One/Same) to strongly emphasize equality, unity, and shared human identity.
Edugai (Tamil Second-letter Rhyme)
“Kodi makkal sernthu vaazha / Adimai vaazhum boomi engum”
The second letter consonant match ('di') between 'Kodi' and 'Adimai' creates poetic harmony across stanzas.
Did you know?
Trivia
Originally written by Kannadasan and composed by Viswanathan-Ramamoorthy for the 1965 M.G. Ramachandran landmark film 'Aayirathil Oruvan', this song remains one of the most iconic political and philosophical anthems in Tamil cinema history.
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