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Isaimozhi
Seethakaathi album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Avan

From Seethakaathi · 2018

Lyricist
Madhan Karky
Singer
Harish Sivaramakrishnan
Music director
Govind Vasantha
Movie name
Seethakaathi
Movie release year
2018
Lyrics added on
10 Oct 2018

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Hmmm mmmmm
Mmmm mmmmm
Hmmm hmmmmm
Mmm mmm mmmmm
Hmmm hmmmmm
Mmm mmm mmmmm
Hmmm hmmmmm
Mmm mmm mmmmm
Avan thugal neeya
Avan thazhal neeya
Avan nizhal neeya
Avanae neeya
Avan thugal neeya
Avan thazhal neeya
Avan nizhal neeya
Avanae neeya
Hmm hmm hmmkuhmmm..
Male :Poriyaai sudaraai
Un vizhigalil avan ozhi
Asaivaai ozhiyaai
Un udalengum avan mozhi
Thee thindra piragum
Avan theeravillaiyae thuliyum
Mann unda piragum
Un ullae ullae avan muzhaikkiraan
Un punnagai avanae
Nee paarkum paarvai athu avanae
Un vaarthaigal avanae
Nee vazhum vaazhkaiyae avan avan
Un paadhaiyum avanae
Un paadhai pookkalum avanae
Poo vaasamum avanae
Nee kollum swasamum avan avan
Poriyaai sudaraai
Un vizhigalil avan ozhi
Asaivaai ozhiyaai
Un udalengum avan mozhi
Thee thindra piragum
Avan theeravillaiyae thuliyum
Mann unda piragum
Un ullae ullae avan muzhaikkiraan
Avan thugal neeya
Avan thazhal neeya
Avan nizhal neeya
Avanae neeya
Avan thugal neeya
Avan thazhal neeya
Avan nizhal neeya
Avanae neeya
Huh huh huh huh….
Male :Hmm hmm hmmkuhmmm..
Nee oru naadagam
Kuru naadagam
Pudhu medaiyaai avan
Neeyo oru bommaiyaai
Uyir bommaiyaai
Unai asaippavan avan
Neengaa kanavaai
Un kannil neezhukindran
Mudiya orr isaiyaai
Un kaadhil vazhugindraan
Paavam ammaranam
Athan velai kedukkiraan
Adadaa iranthum iranthum
Iranthum kodukkiraan
Seethakaathi…
Poriyaai sudaraai
Un vizhigalil avan ozhi
Asaivaai ozhiyaai
Un udalengum avan mozhi
Thee thindra piragum
Avan theeravillaiyae thuliyum
Mann unda piragum
Un ullae ullae avan muzhaikkiraan
Un punnagai avanae
Nee paarkum paarvai athu avanae
Un vaarthaigal avanae
Nee vazhum vaazhkaiyae avan avan
Un paadhaiyum avanae
Un paadhai pookkalum avanae
Poo vaasamum avanae
Nee kollum swasamum avan avan
Huh huh huh huh….(4)
Hmmm mmm...
Mmmm mmm...
Hmmm hmmm...
Mmm mmm mmm...
Hmmm hmmm...
Mmm mmm mmm...
Hmmm hmmm...
Mmm mmm mmm...
Are you a speck of him?
Are you his flame?
Are you his shadow?
Are you him?
Are you a speck of him?
Are you his flame?
Are you his shadow?
Are you him?
Mmm mmm mmm...
As a spark, as a flame,
his light shines in your eyes.
As movement, as sound,
his language fills your entire body.
Even after fire consumed him,
he has not faded, not even a bit.
Even after the earth swallowed him,
he sprouts deep inside you.
Your smile is him.
The look in your eyes is him.
Your words are him.
The very life you live is him, only him.
Your path is him.
The flowers on your path are him.
The scent of the flowers is him.
The breath you take is him, only him.
As a spark, as a flame,
his light shines in your eyes.
As movement, as sound,
his language fills your entire body.
Even after fire consumed him,
he has not faded, not even a bit.
Even after the earth swallowed him,
he sprouts deep inside you.
Are you a speck of him?
Are you his flame?
Are you his shadow?
Are you him?
Are you a speck of him?
Are you his flame?
Are you his shadow?
Are you him?
Hah hah hah hah...
Mmm mmm mmm...
You are a play,
a short play,
and he is your new stage.
You are a puppet,
a living puppet,
and he is the one who moves you.
Like an unending dream,
he lingers in your eyes.
Like never-ending music,
he lives in your ears.
Poor death,
he ruins its work.
Oh, even in death,
he keeps on giving even after dying!
Seethakaathi...
As a spark, as a flame,
his light shines in your eyes.
As movement, as sound,
his language fills your entire body.
Even after fire consumed him,
he has not faded, not even a bit.
Even after the earth swallowed him,
he sprouts deep inside you.
Your smile is him.
The look in your eyes is him.
Your words are him.
The very life you live is him, only him.
Your path is him.
The flowers on your path are him.
The scent of the flowers is him.
The breath you take is him, only him.
Hah hah hah hah...
Chorus
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Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This song from the film Seethakaathi (2018) serves as a philosophical ode to the timeless legacy of a master performer. It explores how a true artist never truly perishes; instead, their art, essence, and soul live on through those who follow in their footsteps. The lyrics depict the artist as an invisible force controlling the movements, expressions, and breathes of present performers. Even physical death, whether through fire or burial, fails to extinguish his influence, as he continues to inspire and sprout within the living, mocking the permanence of death itself.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Anaphora (Edhugai / Repetition)

“Avan thugal neeya”

The phrase 'Avan thugal neeya / Avan thazhal neeya / Avan nizhal neeya' uses repetitive structural rhythm and rhyming structure to emphasize the omnipresence of the artist.

Paradox & Idiomatic Allusion

“Adadaa iranthum iranthum”

The line 'Adadaa iranthum iranthum / Iranthum kodukkiraan' plays on the famous Tamil proverb 'Sethum Koduthan Seethakathi' (Seethakathi gave even after death), highlighting the paradox of giving art beyond death.

Extended Metaphor (Uruvagaim)

“Neeyo oru bommaiyaai / Uyir bommaiyaai / Unai asaippavan avan”

The lyrics metaphorically frame the successor as a 'living puppet' (uyir bommai) and the deceased master as the unseen puppeteer who directs every breath and gesture.

Did you know?

Trivia

The title and theme of the film pay homage to the legendary 17th-century Tamil merchant and philanthropist Seethakathi, known for his extraordinary generosity that inspired the proverb 'Sethum Koduthan Seethakathi' (Seethakathi gave even after dying). Lyricist Madhan Karky cleverly adapts this historical legacy into an artistic context for Vijay Sethupathi's 25th film, where the protagonist continues to act through others even after his physical death.

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