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Lyrics & meaning

Edhirkaalam

From Edhirkaalam Song – San Gan · 2020

Lyricist
SanGan
Singer
SanGan
Music director
Mad Panda
Details
Edhirkaalam Song – San Gan2020

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Olimayamaana edhirkaalamBright future
Olimayamaana edhirkaalamBright future
Olimayamaana edhirkaalamBright future
OlimayamaanaBright...
Male
Sollu machi underground…Tell me buddy, underground...
Male
Kaalaiyila dhinam dhinamEvery day in the morning
Anju manikku ezhundhuWaking up at five o'clock
Alarm-ah anachitu coffee-ah thaan kudichuTurning off the alarm and drinking coffee
Kaalai kadan ellathaiyum onnu onna mudichiFinishing all the morning chores one by one
Standing in the bus stop at six thirtyStanding in the bus stop at six thirty
Bus-ah varum yeri pooThe bus arrives, get on and go
Late-ah pona odi pooIf you're late, run and go
MTC-yila moochu mutta thongu pooHang suffocatingly on the MTC bus
Ettu manikku gate will closeAt eight o'clock the gate will close
Reach aagalana machi nee closeIf you don't reach, buddy, you are finished
Go and meet the HODGo and meet the HOD
Aiyyo yemma mudiyadhu please leave meOh dear mom, I can't, please leave me
I’m too scared to go in thereI'm too scared to go in there
That’s gonna be my worst nightmareThat's gonna be my worst nightmare
Male
Kaattu kaththu kathiScreaming like wild animals
Enga manda mela kottiKnocking us on our heads
Romba kevalama thittiScolding us very horribly
Naanga nippom kaadha pothiWe will stand covering our ears
Enga family-ah pathiAbout our family
Semma sentiment-ah paesiTalking emotional guilt trips
Poi padinga da dei nu solliduvangaThey will say "Go and study, hey!"
Male
Class ku ponaWhen going to class
Male
Be like a managerBe like a manager
Male
Nadanthadha sonnaIf we tell what happened
Male
Hey enna edhirthu pesuringaHey, why are you arguing back?
Male
Don’t tell me silly reasonsDon't tell me silly reasons
Female
Hey mister idhellam vera engayachum vechikoHey mister, keep all this somewhere else
This is a respected institutionThis is a respected institution
Male :Hey what-u we put a question-uMale: Hey, when we ask a question
You must response-uYou must response
Female :Un parents oda money-ah ipdi waste pandriyaeFemale: You are wasting your parents' money like this
Asingama illaIsn't it shameful?
Male
Tha…thappu enga mela thaan manichidungaIt... it's our mistake, please forgive us
Theriyaama serndhutom aala vidungaWe joined without knowing, spare us
Engalayum manushana konjam nenaingaConsider us as human beings too
Neenga vayasula moothavanga purinjikkongaYou are older, please understand
Male
Rules mela rules-ah enga thala mela pottuPutting rule upon rule on our heads
Idaiveli illaama vekkuringa vettuCutting us down continuously without a break
Pannandukku bell adicha thattula soruWhen the bell rings at twelve, food on the plate
Saapttutu marubadi class-ku oduAfter eating, run back to class
Male
Olimayamaana edhirkaalamBright future
Olimayamaana edhirkaalamBright future
Olimayamaana edhirkaalamBright future
OlimayamaanaBright...
Male
Idhu yaaroda thappuWhose fault is this?
Idhu yaaroda thappuWhose fault is this?
Indha system-eh thappuThis entire system is wrong
Yenna seat-ukku dabbuBecause there is money for the seat
Male
Idhu yaaroda thappuWhose fault is this?
Idhu yaaroda thappuWhose fault is this?
Indha system-eh thappuThis entire system is wrong
Yenna seat-ukku dabbuBecause there is money for the seat
Yenna seat’ukku dabbuBecause there is money for the seat
Male
Padichadha pudikkalaDidn't like what was studied
Pudichadha padikkalaDidn't study what was liked
Mudichadhum velai illaNo job after finishing
Muzhikkuraan theruvulaStaring helplessly on the street
Male
Padichadha pudikkalaDidn't like what was studied
Pudichadha padikkalaDidn't study what was liked
Mudichadhum velai illaNo job after finishing
Muzhikkuraan theruvulaStaring helplessly on the street
Male
Admission form-ah viththae kalakkuringaYou make a fortune just selling admission forms
Vilambaram kaatti oora nalla mayakkuringaYou mesmerize the public showing fancy advertisements
Donation katti ennai serthu vittingaPaying donation, my parents enrolled me
Onnumae puriyalanga ennaala mudiyalanga aiyyoI don't understand anything, I can't manage this, oh no
Male
They want my daddy’s dabbuThey want my daddy's money
Inga nadakkura ellaam thappuEverything happening here is wrong
They want my daddy’s dabbuThey want my daddy's money
Inga nadakkura ellamae thappuEverything happening here is wrong
Male
Padichadhu enakku pudikkala daddyI didn't like what I studied, daddy
Pudichadha naan padikkala mummyI didn't study what I liked, mummy
Padichadhu edhuvum puriyala daddyI didn't understand anything I studied, daddy
Pudichadhu edhuvume kedaikkala mummyI didn't get anything I liked, mummy
Male
Olimayamaana edhirkaalamBright future
Olimayamaana edhirkaalamBright future
Olimayamaana edhirkaalamBright future
Olimayamaana…edhirkaalamBright... future
Male
Vaaramthula moonu naalu non-veg-uThree or four days a week non-veg
But where the hell is the knowledge-uBut where the hell is the knowledge?
Girls kooda boys-u no pechuNo talking between boys and girls
Indha college-la serndhu enga life pochuJoining this college destroyed our lives
Male
Messu to classu pogayilaWhile going from mess to class
Naan zombie koottathin naduvulaI am in the middle of a crowd of zombies
Saapta mayakkathula thoongayilaWhile sleeping in a food coma
Miss-u kitta maatti maanamum kaathinilaCaught by the teacher, getting humiliated
Male
Ponnungala paakkuravan thalai mel adiHit on the head of anyone looking at girls
Thambi ettu mudhal anju varai book eduthu padiLittle brother, pick up the book and study from eight to five
Padikkavum vena padippadhu pol nadiNo need to study, just pretend to study
Ada anju mani bell adicha bus-il edam pudiWhen the five o'clock bell rings, grab a seat on the bus
Male
Bus-il edam pudi illa padikattae gadhi enaGrab a seat on the bus, or else footboard is your fate
Mudhal rendu padiyila oru padi pudiHold onto one of the first two steps
Adhil nikkuradhum thonguradhumStanding and hanging on it
Seat-u kettu kenjuradhumBegging for a seat
Avan avan thalayila ezhudhikka vidhiIt is destiny written on each person's head
Male
Veettukku reaching at aaru maniReaching home at six o'clock
Enga amma kitta kekkuren coffee thanniAsking my mother for coffee or water
Serial’u mudiyala wait pannu nee"The serial isn't over yet, you wait"
Ena sollumbodhae vazhiyudhu kannula thanniTears stream down my eyes as she says this
Male
Thalai suthi vizhundhen bed-u melaI collapsed dizzy onto the bed
Facebook whats app enna viduvadhillaFacebook and WhatsApp won't leave me alone
Homework assignments idharkidaiyinilaHomework and assignments in between all this
Enga kadharala kekka inga yaarum illaThere is no one here to hear our cries
Male
Saturday Sunday working daySaturday and Sunday are working days
Vechi uyira edukkuranga kadavulaeOh God, they are torturing us to death
Manushana vaazha mudiyavillaUnable to live as a human being
Indha college-eh vena…aala vidunga da deiI don't want this college... leave us alone, guys!
Male
Idhu yaaroda thappuWhose fault is this?
Idhu yaaroda thappuWhose fault is this?
Indha system-eh thappuThis entire system is wrong
Yenna seat-ukku dabbuBecause there is money for the seat
Yenna seat’ukku dabbuBecause there is money for the seat
Male
Idhu yaaroda thappuWhose fault is this?
Idhu yaaroda thappuWhose fault is this?
Indha system-eh thappuThis entire system is wrong
Yenna seat-ukku dabbuBecause there is money for the seat
Male
Padichadha pudikkalaDidn't like what was studied
Pudichadha padikkalaDidn't study what was liked
Mudichadhum velai illaNo job after finishing
Muzhikkuraan theruvulaStaring helplessly on the street
Male
Padichadha pudikkalaDidn't like what was studied
Pudichadha padikkalaDidn't study what was liked
Mudichadhum velai illaNo job after finishing
Muzhikkuraan theruvulaStaring helplessly on the street
Male
Admission form-ah viththae kalakkuringaYou make a fortune just selling admission forms
Vilambaram kaatti oora nalla mayakkuringaYou mesmerize the public showing fancy advertisements
Donation katti ennai serthu vittingaPaying donation, my parents enrolled me
Onnumae puriyalanga ennala mudiyalanga aiyyoI don't understand anything, I can't manage this, oh no
Male
They want my daddy’s dabbuThey want my daddy's money
Inga nadakkura ellaam thappuEverything happening here is wrong
They want my daddy’s dabbuThey want my daddy's money
Inga nadakkura ellamae thappuEverything happening here is wrong
Male
Padichadhu enakku pudikkala daddyI didn't like what I studied, daddy
Pudichadha naan padikkala mummyI didn't study what I liked, mummy
Padichadhu edhuvum puriyala daddyI didn't understand anything I studied, daddy
Pudichadhu edhuvume kedaikkala mummyI didn't get anything I liked, mummy
Male
Olimayamaana…Bright...

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

Edhirkaalam by San Gan is a hard-hitting hip-hop/rap satire targeting the private higher education ecosystem in Tamil Nadu, particularly private engineering colleges. The track traces a student's daily ordeal—from waking up at 5 AM and hanging precariously from MTC buses, to surviving authoritarian college management, draconian rules, severe gender segregation, verbal humiliation by faculty, and relentless academic pressures. It contrasts the glossy promises made during admissions with the grim reality of uninspired teaching and eventual unemployment. Through sharp youth slang and aggressive delivery, the song criticizes profit-driven educational institutions that collect heavy capitation fees ('donation') while offering minimal real-world knowledge. It portrays students as passive 'zombies' caught in a cycle of rote learning, parental expectations, and systemic exploitation, ultimately delivering a passionate plea for educational reform and student mental health awareness.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Sarcasm / Irony

Olimayamaana edhirkaalam

The title and recurring refrain 'Olimayamaana edhirkaalam' (Bright future) is used ironically to contrast the ideal promise of education with the nightmarish reality of commercialized college life.

Chiasmus / Antimetabole

Padichadha pudikkala / Pudichadha padikkala

The deliberate inversion of phrase structure ('Padichadha pudikkala / Pudichadha padikkala') highlights the tragedy of students studying subjects they dislike while being unable to pursue what they actually love.

Epizeuxis

Idhu yaaroda thappu / Idhu yaaroda thappu

The immediate repetition of 'Idhu yaaroda thappu' heightens the emotional intensity and underlines the central question of who is responsible for systemic educational failure.

Simile / Metaphor

Naan zombie koottathin naduvula

The student compares walking among fellow exhausted college students to moving through a crowd of 'zombies', conveying burnout and loss of vitality.

Did you know?

Trivia

The opening line 'Olimayamaana edhirkaalam' directly references the classic Tamil song 'Olimayamaana Edhirkaalam' from the 1960 movie 'Pachai Vilakku' (composed by M. S. Viswanathan and sung by T. M. Soundararajan). While the original song was an optimistic anthem about hope and progress, San Gan flips the context completely to ironically critique modern commercial engineering colleges.

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