- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singer
- S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
- Music director
- M. S. Vishwanathan
- Movie name
- Ninaithale Inikkum 1979 Film
- Movie release year
- 1979
- Lyrics added on
- 27 Nov 2019
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This song captures the playful frustration and yearning of a maiden waiting for her lover. Combining catchy English lines with deep Tamil folk metaphors, she complains about how her lover passively watches her wait until her heart aches. She calls upon nature—specifically green parrots and songbirds—to act as messengers and witnesses to her pain. In a humorous yet poignant metaphor, she notes that even agricultural paddy crops planted at the same time would have fully matured and yielded harvest, contrasting the productivity of nature with the stagnant, agonizing delay of her romance.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Anaphora / Repetition (Adukkuthodar)
“Kaathirundhen kaathirundhen”
Emphasis through repetition of words like 'Kaathirundhen kaathirundhen' (I waited, I waited) and 'Paarthirundhaai paarthirundhaai' (You watched, you watched) to highlight the prolonged passage of time.
Apostrophe (Addressing inanimate or absent beings)
“Pachchai kili saatchi sollu”
Addressing nature and birds ('Pachchai kili saatchi sollu' and 'Lovely birds tell my darling') to act as witnesses and emissaries for her inner romantic angst.
Agricultural Metaphor / Analogy
“Naathu vachchu kaathirundha / Nellu kooda velanjirukum”
Comparing the waiting time in love with the seasonal growth cycle of paddy ('Naathu vachchu... Nellu kooda velanjirukum') to show how excessively long the lover has made her wait.
Second-letter Rhyme (Etukai)
“Naathu vachchu kaathirundha / Kaaka vachchu kanni vandha”
Assonance/rhyming in the second letter between lines 'Naathu vachchu' and 'Kaaka vachchu'.
Did you know?
Trivia
From the iconic 1979 K. Balachander musical film 'Ninaithale Inikkum' starring Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth, the soundtrack was composed by M. S. Viswanathan with lyrics by Kannadasan. This song stands out for its contemporary late-70s Western pop influence mixed with traditional Tamil lyricism, reflecting the film's youthful, band-tour storyline set in Reunion Island.
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