- Lyricist
- Vaali
- Singers
- Malaysia Vasudevan, Chorus
- Music director
- Ilayaraja
- Movie name
- Ore Oru Gramathiley
- Movie release year
- 1989
- Lyrics added on
- 24 Aug 2020
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
Jaadhi Ennada Jaadhi from the film Ore Oru Gramathiley (1989), penned by Vaali, is a powerful anthem condemning caste discrimination and social division in India. The song highlights the ultimate equality of human life, pointing out that every person enters the world simply as a child and leaves as a corpse, regardless of the artificial caste labels imposed by society. It criticizes how social classes create conflict and fragment society beyond even the count of its population. The lyrics redefine nobility not by birth, but by empathy and character—asserting that one who harms others is truly 'low' and one who wipes tears is 'high'. Calling for revolutionary unity, equal justice, and constitutional reforms, the song urges all Indians to live and fall as one nation.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Metaphor (Uruvagam)
“Janangala pudicha vyaadhi”
Caste is directly compared to a contagious disease gripping the minds of people.
Antithesis / Contrast
“Porandhaa adhan per kozhandha / Ponaa adhan per ponam thaan”
Contrasts birth (child) and death (corpse) to show that human nature is uniform at start and end.
Simile (Uwamai)
“Oru marathu paravaigalaai”
Compares diverse human beings living in a single nation to birds perching on the same tree.
Alliteration (Monai)
“Purappadu purappadu por thodu por thodu”
Repetition of the initial 'P' sound creates a strong, driving rhythmic rhythm suitable for a call to action.
Did you know?
Trivia
Ore Oru Gramathiley (1989) dealt critically with caste reservations in Tamil Nadu. The music for the film was composed by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja, with vocals by K.J. Yesudas. The film faced severe political controversy and a ban by the Tamil Nadu government upon release. The case eventually reached the Supreme Court of India (S. Rangarajan v. P. Jagjivan Ram, 1989), resulting in a landmark judgment that upheld freedom of expression in cinema, stating that state censorship cannot be used to suppress controversial political opinions.
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