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Lyrics & meaning

Ettadukku Maligaiyil

From Aadi Viradham · 1991

Lyricist
Vaali
Singers
M. S. Rajeswari, K. S. Chitra
Music director
Shankar Ganesh
Details
Aadi Viradham1991

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Ettadukku maligaiyilIn an eight-storied mansion,
Vattamidum vannakkiliA colorful parrot circling around,
Pathadi kutchikullaeInto a small ten-foot hut,
Paattu ketka vandha kiliCame a parrot to listen to songs.
Ettadukku maligaiyilIn an eight-storied mansion,
Vattamidum vannakkiliA colorful parrot circling around,
Pathadi kutchikullaeInto a small ten-foot hut,
Paattu ketka vandha kiliCame a parrot to listen to songs.
Rekkai rendu molachadhaaleBecause it grew a pair of wings,
Ungakitta ulladhu engittae vandhadhadiWhat belonged to you has come to me, oh girl.
Female
Sarigama papadhamama padhnisadhniga[Solkattu / Solfa passages]
Dhanisamama padhanigaga gamapa dhanisani[Solkattu / Solfa passages]
Nisaasa nisaa dhanidhadhanidha padhanisani dhama[Solkattu / Solfa passages]
Madhagama gamasaga sarigamadhanisa madhama sarigasaa[Solkattu / Solfa passages]
Female
Ettadukku maligaiyilIn an eight-storied mansion,
Vattamidum vannakkiliA colorful parrot circling around,
Pathadi kutchikullaeInto a small ten-foot hut,
Paattu ketka vandha kiliCame a parrot to listen to songs.
Rekkai rendu molachadhaaleBecause it grew a pair of wings,
Ungakitta ulladhu engittae vandhadhadiWhat belonged to you has come to me, oh girl.
Female
Ettadukku maligaiyilIn an eight-storied mansion,
Vattamidum vannakkiliA colorful parrot circling around,
Pathadi kutchikullaeInto a small ten-foot hut,
Paattu ketka vandha kiliCame a parrot to listen to songs.
Female
Minsaara vilakka polaLike an electric light bulb,
Nilavai anaikka mudiyumaCan anyone turn off the moon?
Thanneeril muzhuginaalumEven if submerged in water,
Thalaiyin eluthu azhiyumaWill the fate written on one's forehead ever be erased?
Female
En paattil irukkum karuthuThe meaning embedded in my song,
Ellorkkum therindha kadhaithaanIs a story well known to everyone.
Un veettil valarum kuruthuThe tender sapling growing in your house,
Ammaadi enadhu vidhaithaanOh dear, is indeed my own seed.
Edathai nee maathina thodarumEven if you change your location, it will follow—
Nizhalai thadukka mudiyumaCan anyone block a shadow?
Female
Ettadukku maligaiyilIn an eight-storied mansion,
Vattamidum vannakkiliA colorful parrot circling around,
Pathadi kutchikullaeInto a small ten-foot hut,
Paattu ketka vandha kiliCame a parrot to listen to songs.
Rekkai rendu molachadhaaleBecause it grew a pair of wings,
Vaasalai thaandaveTo cross the threshold,
Naalondru parkkuthadiIt is waiting for an auspicious day, my girl.
Female
Annaadam pudhusu polaLike making things brand new every day,
Maatruven sattathaanI will rewrite the rules and laws.
Ennaalum pudicha soruThe food I like every single day,
Karandha paalu muttathaanIs freshly milked milk and eggs.
Engaeyum nelinju nelinjuWiggling and twisting everywhere,
Villaattum valainju valainjuBending flexibly like a bow,
Eppodhum thavazhndhu iruppenI will always slither around,
Thottaakka padamum eduppenAnd if touched, I will raise my hood like a snake.
Maaligai pudikalaமாளிகை புடிக்கலI don't like mansions, I don't like mansions,
Enakku venum mannu veedu thaanAll I want is a simple mud house!
Female
Sarigama papadhamama padhnisadhniga[Solkattu / Solfa passages]
Dhanisamama padhanigaga gamapa dhanisani[Solkattu / Solfa passages]
Nisaasa nisaa dhanidhadhanidha padhanisani dhama[Solkattu / Solfa passages]
Madhagama gamasaga sarigamadhanisa madhama sarigasaa[Solkattu / Solfa passages]
Female
Ettadukku maligaiyilIn an eight-storied mansion,
Vattamidum vannakkiliA colorful parrot circling around,
Pathadi kutchikullaeInto a small ten-foot hut,
Paattu ketka vandha kiliCame a parrot to listen to songs.
Rekkai rendu molachadhaaleBecause it grew a pair of wings,
Ungakitta ulladhu engittae vandhadhadiWhat belonged to you has come to me, oh girl.
Female
Ettadukku maligaiyilIn an eight-storied mansion,
Vattamidum vannakkiliA colorful parrot circling around,
Pathadi kutchikullaeInto a small ten-foot hut,
Paattu ketka vandha kiliCame a parrot to listen to songs.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This song from 'Aadi Viradham' explores themes of destiny, lineage, and natural identity through vivid allegories. The narrative contrasts an eight-storied mansion with a humble ten-foot hut, describing how a child (symbolized as a 'colorful parrot' or 'tender sapling') instinctively seeks out its true biological roots despite being raised in luxury. Using metaphors of an inescapable shadow, unerasable fate written on the forehead, and the impossibility of 'switching off' the moon like a lamp, the lyrics assert that truth and bloodline cannot be concealed by wealth or distance. As the song progresses, it shifts into serpent-themed imagery—slithering, bending like a bow, rejecting grand mansions in favor of a mud house, and threatening to raise a hood if provoked. This aligns with the devotional and snake-deity elements of the movie, emphasizing a fierce spirit that rejects artificial luxury in favor of authentic, grounded, and divine nature.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Vattamidum vannakkili

Compares a child to a 'colorful parrot' circling around.

Simile (Upamai)

Minsaara vilakka pola / Nilavai anaikka mudiyuma

Compares turning off the moon to turning off an electric bulb to illustrate the impossibility of defying nature or fate.

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Un veettil valarum kuruthu / Ammaadi enadhu vidhaithaan

Refers to a child growing in a home as a 'tender sapling' (kuruthu) sprouted from the father's 'seed' (vidhai).

Ethugai (Second-letter Assonance)

Ettadukku maligaiyil / Pathadi kutchikullae

The second letter 't' (ட்) rhymes between 'Ettadukku' and 'Pathadi'.

Iyaipu (End Rhyme)

Vattamidum vannakkili / Paattu ketka vandha kili

The lines end with the rhyming word 'kili'.

Rhetorical Question

Nizhalai thadukka mudiyuma

Asks 'Can anyone block a shadow?' to emphasize that truth and destiny inevitably follow a person.

Did you know?

Trivia

'Aadi Viradham' (1991) is a Tamil devotional film directed by Rama Narayanan, a director famed for incorporating trained animals, divine manifestations, and snake folklore into commercial cinema. The song features vocals by M.S. Rajeswari, legendary for her iconic high-pitched child-like singing voice in Tamil cinema, alongside K.S. Chithra. Composed by the duo Shankar-Ganesh with lyrics by Vaali, the track effectively blends classical carnatic solfa passages (swaras) with folk-devotional melodies.

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