- Lyricist
- M. S. Subramaniyam
- Singers
- S. C. Krishnan, M. S. Rajeswari
- Music director
- M. Ranga Rao
- Movie name
- Ivan Avanethan
- Movie release year
- 1960
- Lyrics added on
- 1 Sept 2025
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This playful duet features a sister teasing her brother about his mental state and his marriage prospects. She brings up the classic Tamil paradox: people say marriage cures madness, but nobody marries off a madman until he is cured. She humorously questions if his madness is caused by love sorrow over a city girl or a village girl, or simply obsession with achieving his ambitions. She jestingly concludes that everyone—from father to doctor—has lost their mind.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Paradox / Catch-22 Logic
“Kalyaanam aanaa paiththiyam pogum / Paiththiyam ponaa kalyaanam aagum”
Presents a famous circular dilemma in Tamil folk wisdom where marriage requires sanity, yet sanity is said to require marriage.
Iyaibu (End Rhyme)
“Aiyaiyaa appaavukku paiththiyam / Vaiththiyarukku paiththiyam / Ellorukkum paiththiyam”
Repeated end rhymes using the suffix 'paiththiyam' to create rhythmic humor.
Monaibham (Initial Alliteration / Contrast)
“Pattikaattu pen... / Pattanaththu pennai...”
Contrasting two opposing concepts (Pattikaattu - village vs Pattanaththu - city) starting with similar phonetic sounds.
Did you know?
Trivia
The famous proverb 'Kalyaanam aanaa paiththiyam therum, paiththiyam thernthaa kalyaanam aagum' is a classic Tamil Catch-22 phrase often referenced in literature and cinema to highlight circular logic.
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