- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singer
- P. Susheela
- Music director
- K. V. Mahadevan
- Movie name
- Needhikku Pin Paasam
- Movie release year
- 1963
- Lyrics added on
- 27 Sept 2019
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
Kaadu Kodutha Kaniyirukku is a deeply philosophical and uplifting song celebrating the rich natural bounty of the earth, self-reliance, and the value of hard work. Lyricist Kannadasan highlights how nature provides everything required for human sustenance—food from fields and forests, clothing from cotton, and timber like teak and sandalwood for shelter. By emphasizing that human sweat and labor built towns and nations from scratch, the song presents a vision of self-sufficiency. It concludes with the timeless message that if a society knows how to conserve and protect its natural wealth, it will never need to suffer from poverty or debt.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Monai (Initial Alliteration)
“Kaadu kodutha kaniyirukku…”
Repetition of the initial 'Ka' sound in 'Kaadu' and 'kaniyirukku' creates rhythm in the opening line.
Adukkuthodar (Repetition for Emphasis)
“Siruga siruga aaraachu”
The word 'Siruga' is repeated back-to-back ('Siruga siruga') to emphasize the slow, step-by-step accumulation of effort over time.
Metaphor
“Sindhiya vervai nilathil odi / Siruga siruga aaraachu”
Comparing spilled sweat running on earth to a growing river ('aaraachu') metaphorically illustrates the immense effort of labor leading to prosperous civilization.
Inai Monai (Consonance/Alliteration)
“Naadu nagaram ooraachu”
The 'Na' sound is repeated across 'Naadu' and 'nagaram', establishing a pleasant auditory flow.
Did you know?
Trivia
Featured in the 1963 film 'Needhikku Pin Paasam' starring M. G. Ramachandran (MGR) and B. Saroja Devi, this song was composed by K. V. Mahadevan and rendered by T. M. Soundararajan. The song was hugely popular among agricultural workers and reinforced MGR's screen image as a champion of the working class and rural self-reliance.
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