- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singer
- T. M. Soundararajan
- Music director
- K. V. Mahadevan
- Movie name
- Thulli Odum Pulliman
- Movie release year
- 1971
- Lyrics added on
- 20 May 2024
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
Avan Oru Paithiyakaaran is a satirical track written by Kannadasan that critiques human foolishness, moral hypocrisy, and societal double standards. The song portrays a man who believes the world is completely truthful and tries to preach sense to a foolish crowd, only to end up losing his own sanity. Through humorous visual metaphors—such as opening an umbrella inside a bus or shamelessly showing off newly acquired status—Kannadasan exposes the absurdities of shallow human behavior.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Monaai (Initial Alliteration)
“Puththiyillaa koottaththukku / Puththi solla ponaan”
Repetition of the 'P' consonant at the start of words across consecutive lines.
Edukai (Second Letter Rhyme)
“Padippatharkkum oruthan vanthu / Avanai idippatharkkum oruthan bus-il”
Matching of the second consonant 'di' in adjacent lines.
Irony
“Avan kannagipol manaiyirunthum / Nadigaiyai ninaiththaan”
Contrasting the virtuous figure of Kannagi with the superficial attraction toward an actress.
Proverb Adaptation (Pazhamozhi)
“Arpanukku vaazhvu vanthaa... Bus-il kooda kudai pidippaan”
Adapts the traditional proverb 'Arpanukku vaazhvu vanthaal artha raathiriyil kudai pidippaan' into a modern bus context.
Did you know?
Trivia
Featured in the 1971 Tamil film 'Thulli Odum Pulliman', the song features music by K. V. Mahadevan and vocal delivery by T. M. Soundararajan. Lyricist Kannadasan cleverly weaves classical cultural references like Kannagi into everyday modern scenarios like city bus rides to create timeless social commentary.
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