- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singers
- Vani Jairam, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
- Music director
- M. S. Vishwanathan
- Movie name
- Avan Aval Adhu
- Movie release year
- 1980
- Lyrics added on
- 8 Nov 2019
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
'Illam Sangeetham' from the movie Avan Aval Adhu (1980) is a celebrated Tamil duets written by Kavignar Kannadasan and composed by M. S. Viswanathan. The song metaphorically portrays a happy domestic household as a sweet musical symphony, where family life acts as the melody (raagam), the husband as the emotional nuance (baavam), and the child as the delightful tone (srungaara naadham). The lyrics honor womanhood as the auspicious source of light, joy, and spiritual harmony in a home. The song further expresses romantic fulfillment and marital devotion, drawing upon divine imagery like Goddess Lakshmi, Lord Shiva, and Lord Murugan (Kumaran). The couple reaffirms that mutual affection and the warmth of family supersede all material wealth, invoking the ideal devotion of Rama and Sita to illustrate their eternal commitment.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Metaphor (Uvamaani)
“Illam sangeetham mm… / Adhil raagam samsaaram mm…”
Compares domestic home life, family relations, husband, and child to foundational elements of Indian classical music (music, raga, bhava, and tone).
Mythological Allusion
“Lakshmi vandhaalaam / Sivanum vandhaanaam / Naanum raaman kannil Seethai allavo”
References divine figures like Goddess Lakshmi, Lord Shiva, Lord Kumaran, Rama, and Sita to elevate marital love and domestic happiness to a sacred status.
Rhyme and Assonance (Edhugai and Monai)
“Lakshmi vandhaalaam / Veettil dheebam vaithaalaam”
Uses rhyming structures across adjacent line segments such as 'Lakshmi vandhaalaam' and 'Veettil dheebam vaithaalaam' to create musical flow in the verse.
Did you know?
Trivia
Avan Aval Adhu (1980), directed by Muktha Srinivasan, stars Sivakumar, Lakshmi, and Sripriya. The song features music composed by M. S. Viswanathan and was sung by T. M. Soundararajan and S. Janaki. The film deals with sensitive themes of family, relationships, and surrogacy, making this song's tribute to home and family harmony central to the narrative.
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