- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singer
- S. Janaki
- Music director
- G. K. Venkatesh
- Movie name
- Yaarukkum Vetkamillai
- Movie release year
- 1975
- Lyrics added on
- 13 Jul 2025
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This poignant song expresses a woman's tragic reflection on her past love and marriage. Framed through the lens of deep regret, she views every step of her romance—looking, smiling, longing, and even God's divine act of uniting them—as fateful 'sins' (paavam) that ultimately led to her undoing. Kannadasan brilliantly employs tragic irony by contrasting holy marital rites such as temple vows, rings, and auspicious vermilion with the agonizing loss of her self-respect and honor.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Irony (முரண்)
“En maanam poga vandha serndha mangalam”
The poet uses tragic irony by categorizing innocent acts of love and divine union as 'paavam' (sin), and calling the marriage an auspicious union ('mangalam') that resulted in losing dignity ('maanam poga').
Metaphor (உவமை / உருவகம்)
“En kani idhazhgal seidha paavam sirithathu”
'Kani idhazhgal' compares lips to sweet fruit, conveying warmth and innocence.
Anaphora and Structural Parallelism (அடுக்குத் தொடர்)
“En kannirandum seidha paavam paarthathu”
The repetitive phrasing 'En ... seidha paavam' creates a rhythmic cadence and highlights a cascading sequence of personal regrets.
Did you know?
Trivia
The film 'Yaarukkum Vetkamillai' (1975) was directed by Cho Ramaswamy and based on his famous political/social satire play of the same name. Maestro Ilaiyaraaja worked closely under composer G. K. Venkatesh as an assistant composer and guitarist during the creation of this soundtrack.
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