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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Enathu Gaanam

From Oru Thayin Sabhatham · 1987

Lyricist
T. Rajendar
Singer
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
Music director
T. Rajendar
Details
Oru Thayin Sabhatham1987

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Haa aaaaa aaaaa….Vocalizing...
Haa aaaaa aaaaa…..Vocalizing...
Haa aaaaa aaaaa …..aaaaa..haa…haaVocalizing...
Haa…haaa…haa…haaa…aaaaaVocalizing...
Male
Jadhigal sollida salangai kulungidaReciting rhythmic beats as anklets jingle
Kalaigal payindraval neeYou are the one learned in the fine arts
Male
Raagam paadida thaalam serthidaSinging the melody and keeping the rhythm
Kattru thandhaval neeYou are the one who taught me all of it
Sariga sagarsadha padhasaSa-Ri-Ga Sa-Ga-Ri-Sa-Dha Pa-Dha-Sa
Padhapaga ri sagaripadhasari gapadhasaPa-Dha-Pa-Ga Ri Sa-Ga-Ri-Pa-Dha-Sa-Ri Ga-Pa-Dha-Sa
Male
Enadhu gaanamDoes my song
Unadhu kaadhil vizhavillaiyaaNot fall upon your ears?
Un nenjai thodavillaiyaaDoes it not touch your heart?
Enadhu gaanamDoes my song
Unadhu kaadhil vizhavillaiyaaNot fall upon your ears?
Un nenjai thodavillaiyaaDoes it not touch your heart?
Male
Kandrondru kadharaWhen your calf cries out in agony
Kalangaadhu irundhaaiYou remained unperturbed
Kannneeril nanaindhumEven when soaked in my tears
Thudaikaadhu nadanthaaiYou walked past without wiping them away
Hoo o hoo hoo oVocalizing...
Enadhu gaanamDoes my song
Unadhu kaadhil vizhavillaiyaaNot fall upon your ears?
Un nenjai thodavillaiyaaDoes it not touch your heart?
Male
Un pillai vilundhaalIf your child fell down
Thaalaadhu thudithaaiYou could not bear it and squirmed in pain
Un tholil pottuPlacing me on your shoulders
Thaalaattu padithaaiYou sang a soothing lullaby
Hoo o hoo hoo oVocalizing...
Paadupattu valarkka kann vizhithaaiYou stayed awake through nights working hard to raise me
Pazhangadhai sonnaal nee mulithaaiYet when I recall the past, you look blank and confused
Paadupattu valarkka kann vizhithaaiYou stayed awake through nights working hard to raise me
Pazhangadhai sonnaal nee mulithaaiYet when I recall the past, you look blank and confused
Male
Idaiyilae pirindhaaiYou were separated from me in between
Thirumbhavum serndhaaiAnd then you reunited with me again
Vidhiyenum sadhiyaal ninaivizhandhaaiYet due to the cruel conspiracy of fate, you lost your memory
Vizhidhanil neerai vara vazhaithaaiYou brought tears streaming down my eyes
Neeye en thaai thuyaram thandhaaiYou yourself, my mother, have given me this grief
Male
Enadhu gaanamDoes my song
Unadhu kaadhil vizhavillaiyaaNot fall upon your ears?
Un nenjai thodavillaiyaaDoes it not touch your heart?
Kandrondru kadharaWhen your calf cries out in agony
Kalangaadhu irundhaaiYou remained unperturbed
Kannneeril nanaindhumEven when soaked in my tears
Thudaikaadhu nadanthaaiYou walked past without wiping them away
Hoo o hoo hoo oVocalizing...
Male
Undhan paadalai paadiya piragumEven after I sang your own composition
Raagam ninaivillaiyaooDo you still not recall the melody?
Udhiram koduthaai uyiraai valarthaaiYou gave your blood and nurtured me as your own life
Yaavum ninaivilaliyooHas all of that faded from your memory?
Male
Nilavinai kaattiPointing at the moon in the sky
Sorinai ootti valarthaayeYou fed me food and brought me up
Ninaivinai meettuReclaim your lost memory
Paasathai katta maranthaayeHow could you forget to show your love?
Thaaye nee paadammaaOh mother, please sing for me
Thavikkindren paarammaaLook at how I am squirming in pain, mother

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This song from 'Oru Thayin Sabhatham' (1987) is an emotionally charged plea from a son to his mother who suffers from amnesia. The mother was once an accomplished classical artist and the son's very first music teacher. Having been separated and reunited through twists of fate, the son finds her completely oblivious to his presence and incapable of recognizing him. He attempts to revive her lost memories by singing classical swaras and melodies she had once taught him. The lyrics contrast her past boundless maternal devotion—staying awake at night, feeding him under the moonlight, and singing lullabies—with her current heartbreaking indifference. Suffering deeply as he sees his mother looking at him with a blank stare, the son desperately begs her to break through her amnesia, recall her music, and embrace him as her child once again.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Iyaipu (End Rhyme)

Unadhu kaadhil vizhavillaiyaa / Un nenjai thodavillaiyaa

The lines end with the rhyming rhythmic pattern 'vizhavillaiyaa' and 'thodavillaiyaa'.

Monai (Initial Assonance / Alliteration)

Udhiram koduthaai uyiraai valarthaai

Both key words in the line start with the vowel sound 'U' ('Udhiram' / 'uyiraai').

Metaphor

Vidhiyenum sadhiyaal ninaivizhandhaai

Fate is personified and metaphorically depicted as a conspirator ('sadhi') that robbed the mother of her memory.

Metaphor

Kandrondru kadhara

The son metaphorically compares himself crying out for his mother to a helpless calf ('kandru') calling out for its mother cow.

Did you know?

Trivia

'Oru Thayin Sabhatham' (1987) was written, directed, composed, and starred in by T. Rajendar, showcase his signature multi-talented filmmaking style. The emotional composition relies heavily on Carnatic musical elements and solkattu (swaras) integrated into a dramatic story context. Legendary singer S. P. Balasubrahmanyam delivered a deeply evocative vocal performance that rendered this song a memorable classical-emotional fusion track of the late 1980s.

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