- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singer
- M. S. Vishwanathan
- Music director
- M. S. Vishwanathan
- Movie name
- Engal Vathiyar
- Movie release year
- 1980
- Lyrics added on
- 24 Apr 2022
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This poignant song draws a direct parallel between the ancient Sangam poet Sathimutha Pulavar—who famously sang to a red-legged stork about his severe poverty—and a noble, self-sacrificing schoolteacher struggling in modern times. Despite spending his life opening the eyes of others through education, the protagonist finds himself destitute, blind to a hopeful future, and unable to support his beloved daughter.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Classical Allusion / Uvamaani (Simile)
“Panampadu panaiyin kizhanku pilanthanna / Pavala koorvaai sengaal naaraai…”
Directly quotes Sangam literature (Sathimutha Pulavar) where the stork's sharp coral beak is compared to a split palmyra tuber.
Metaphor (Uruvagakani)
“Yaenipadigal thaanae endrum / Yaeri povathillai”
Compares a teacher to a ladder that helps everyone else climb to high positions while remaining stationary itself.
Ethugai (Second-letter Rhyme)
“Endro pulavan paadiyathai / Naan indrae paadugiraen”
The second consonant sound 'nd' in 'Endro' matches 'indrae', creating a traditional Tamil rhythmic flow.
Monai (Initial Rhyme / Alliteration)
“Yaenipadigal thaanae endrum / Yaeri povathillai”
The opening sound 'Yae' is repeated across 'Yaenipadigal' and 'Yaeri'.
Did you know?
Trivia
The opening lines 'Naaraai naaraai sengaal naaraai...' are taken directly from an ancient Sangam-era Tamil poem written by Sathimutha Pulavar, who used a migrating red-legged stork as a messenger to convey his poverty to the king of Madurai. Kannadasan cleverly integrates this classical literary motif into M. S. Viswanathan's composition to highlight the plight of impoverished teachers.
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