- Lyricist
- Pulamaipithan
- Singer
- S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
- Music director
- Ilayaraja
- Movie name
- Dharma
- Movie release year
- 1998
- Lyrics added on
- 2 Sept 2019
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
Iru Kangal Podhaadhu is a poignant Tamil elegiac song expressing unbearable grief and sorrow over the untimely demise of a loved one. Watching the final funeral procession, the protagonist laments how cruel fate has extinguished a pure life so prematurely. He compares her delicate existence to a lotus being buried in dirt or a fresh flower consigned to flames. Overwhelmed by helplessness and disbelief, he seeks answers from her departed soul and grieves that his eyes will never again behold her face or hear her voice.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Metaphor (Uruvagam)
“Thaamaraiyai man moodavo / Theeyidamae malar povadho”
The deceased loved one is metaphorically compared to a delicate lotus and a tender flower, emphasizing her innocence and the tragedy of her demise.
Rhetorical Question (Vinaa Ani)
“Paasathai kondra andha paavigal yaarammaa”
The speaker uses despairing rhetorical questions to convey helplessness, denial, and intense psychological agony.
Hyperbole (Uyarvu Navortchi)
“Oraayiram jenmam ondraai vaazhndhadhu pol irukku”
Exaggeration of emotional bond spanning a thousand births to highlight the deep timeless connection between the lovers.
Did you know?
Trivia
In the 1998 Tamil action film Dharma starring Vijayakanth and Preetha Vijayakumar, this sorrowful song features music composed by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja and heart-wrenching lyrics penned by veteran poet Pulamaipithan.
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