Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Endru Thaniyum Indha

From Ini Oru Sudhanthiram · 1987

Lyricist
Gangai Amaran
Singer
K. J. Yesudas
Music director
Gangai Amaran
Details
Ini Oru Sudhanthiram1987

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Endru thaniyum indha sudhanthira thagam..When will this thirst for freedom be quenched?
Endru madiyum engal adimayin mogam..When will our infatuation with servitude perish?
Chorus :Endru thaniyum indha sudhanthira thagam..Chorus : When will this thirst for freedom be quenched?
Endru madiyum engal adimayin mogam..When will our infatuation with servitude perish?
Male
Endru yemadhannai kai vilangugal pogum..When will the shackles on our Mother's hands be removed?
Endru yemadhannai kai vilangugal pogum..When will the shackles on our Mother's hands be removed?
Endru yemathinnalgal theernthu poiyaagum..When will our miseries end and turn out to be false?
Endru yemathinnalgal theernthu poiyaagum..When will our miseries end and turn out to be false?
Chorus
Endru thaniyum indha sudhanthira thagam..When will this thirst for freedom be quenched?
Endru madiyum engal adimayin mogam..When will our infatuation with servitude perish?
Male
Panjamum noiyum nin meiyadi yaarko..Are famine and disease meant only for your true devotees?
Chorus :Panjamum noiyum nin meiyadi yaarko..Chorus : Are famine and disease meant only for your true devotees?
Male :Parinil menmaigal verini yaarkko…Male : To whom else do the glories of this world belong?
Chorus :Parinil menmaigal verini yaarkko…Chorus : To whom else do the glories of this world belong?
Male
Thanjam adaintha pin kai vidalaamo…Having sought refuge, is it right to abandon us?
Thanjam adaintha pin kai vidalaamo…Having sought refuge, is it right to abandon us?
Thaayundhan kuzhandhayai thalli vida pomo?Can a mother ever push her own child away?
Chorus
Endru thaniyum indha sudhanthira thagam..When will this thirst for freedom be quenched?
All :Endru madiyum engal adimayin mogam..All : When will our infatuation with servitude perish?

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This classic patriotic song, originally written by the legendary national poet Mahakavi Subramania Bharati, expresses an agonizing yearning for liberation from oppression and servitude. The lyrics express the collective agony of an enslaved nation, urgently asking when the thirst for true freedom will finally be quenched and when the heavy shackles binding the Motherland will be shattered.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Endru thaniyum indha sudhanthira thagam..

Freedom is metaphorically compared to 'thagam' (thirst), emphasizing a deep, desperate, and instinctual craving for liberty.

Monai (Initial Rhyme / Alliteration)

Endru yemadhannai kai vilangugal pogum.. Endru yemathinnalgal theernthu poiyaagum..

The repetition of the initial word 'Endru' across consecutive lines creates an urgent rhythm and structural harmony.

Rhetorical Question

Thaayundhan kuzhandhayai thalli vida pomo?

The poet asks an emotional rhetorical question—asking if a mother could ever abandon her child—to appeal to the divine Motherland's grace and duty to liberate her people.

Did you know?

Trivia

Although credited in the film context to Gangai Amaran or adapted for the 1987 film 'Ini Oru Sudhanthiram' (directed by Manivannan and starring Sivaji Ganesan), this song is originally one of Mahakavi Subramania Bharati's most famous patriotic compositions written during the Indian independence movement. It serves as an iconic rallying cry against oppression and political servitude in Tamil culture.

Keep listening

More from Ini Oru Sudhanthiram