- Lyricist
- Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass
- Singers
- P. Susheela, Chorus
- Music director
- G. Ramanathan
- Movie name
- Srivalli
- Movie release year
- 1961
- Lyrics added on
- 28 Dec 2024
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This song is a classic example of 'Thinai Punam Kaathal' (guarding the millet field), an ancient Sangam tradition featured in the mythology of Valli and Lord Murugan. Valli guards her family's foxtail millet fields in the Kurinji (mountainous) landscape and sings rhythmic chants like 'Aaloalam' and 'Choo' to scare away birds such as parrots, cuckoos, and sparrows that try to feed on the ripe millet crop.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Onomatopoeia / Traditional Refrain
“Aaloalam aalaolam aalaolam aalaolam ..choo”
'Aaloalam' and 'Choo' are authentic phonetic sounds used traditionally by field-guarding women in Tamil folklore to scare birds away.
Etukai (Second letter rhyme)
“Aaval meeri varum thaaravae / Kaaval meeri ingae vaaradhae”
The second letters 'va' in 'Aaval' and 'Kaaval' rhyme harmoniously across consecutive lines.
Monai (Initial letter alliteration)
“Chinnanchiru kuruvigala singaara paravaigala”
The repetition of initial sounds 'Chi' and 'Si' creates a melodic cadence.
Did you know?
Trivia
'Aaloalam' is an ancient Sangam Tamil term explicitly mentioned in classical Tamil literature to describe the vocal call made by young women guarding millet fields in the Kurinji region. In the 1961 movie 'Srivalli', composer G. Ramanathan and lyricist Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass revived this traditional folk art form into a popular classical film song sung beautifully by P. Susheela.
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