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Vaathi album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Kalangudhe

From Vaathi · 2022

Lyricist
Yugabharathi
Singer
Vijay Yesudas
Music director
G. V. Prakash Kumar
Movie name
Vaathi
Movie release year
2022
Lyrics added on
4 Jan 2023

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
O o ..oo..oo..
Oo ..oo..ooo…
Kalangudhae kann kalangudhae
Kadhariyae nenju norungudhae
Ponga vecha thangakudam
Pothalu vitturichae
Maasariya vairamani
Mannula saainjiruchae
Aricane vilakkae
Iruttaayiruchae
Pasumpal veluppae
Karuppayiruchae
Kammakarai aayiruchae
Kattandharai ooo
Kanneerula sainjiruchae
Senthamarai
Mutti mutti ooru sanam
Munnae vara ooo
Mukkathula ninnuduchae
Moonampirai ..oo
Pulakadaiyilae mulachaalum
Thulasikku oru vaasam
Theru puludhiyilae purandaalum
Vaazhumae nesam
Kodi aduppula puga pola
Posungudhu oru koottam
Kalaiyeduthida thuninjaalae
Kaalam maaridum
Vayakkattula ulacha naanga
Endha paadamum padikkala
Nidham saethula kidakkuromae
Adha saamiyum thadukkala
Kaasa kekkum kalvi
Kanavaagi ponadhae
Neeru mela potta
Oru kolam aanadhae
Kaadharundha oosiyilae
Sattaiya thaikkanuma
Kaiya katti vaaya pothi
Naangalum nikkanuma
Thalaiyeluthae puriyalunnu
Oppari veikkanuma
Kammakarai aayiruchae
Kattandharai ooo
Kanneerula sainjiruchae
Senthamarai
Mutti mutti ooru sanam
Munnae vara ooo
Mukkathula ninnuduchae
Moonampirai ..oo
Oh... Oh... Oh...
Oh... Oh... Oh...
My eyes well up with tears!
Weeping aloud, my heart shatters!
The golden pot set to boil,
Has sprung a leak!
The flawless diamond,
Has fallen into the dust!
Even the hurricane lamp,
Has gone dark!
The pure white cow's milk,
Has turned black!
The fertile lake bank has become,
Barren dry ground, oh...
Drowning in tears, it has wilted,
The red lotus!
Struggling hard, as the village folks,
Try to move forward, oh...
It has stopped at the street corner,
The crescent moon, oh...
Even if it grows in the backyard,
The tulsi (holy basil) still keeps its fragrance.
Even if rolled in the street dust,
The truth will still live on.
Like smoke from a firewood stove,
A whole crowd is burning in pain.
If only we dare to weed them out,
The times will surely change!
We who sprouted in the farming fields,
Never got to learn any lessons.
We stay stuck in the mud every day,
And even God did not stop it.
Education that demands money,
Has become an impossible dream!
It vanished like a pattern,
Drawn on the surface of water!
With a broken-eyed needle,
Are we supposed to stitch a shirt?
With our hands tied and mouths covered,
Must we just stand by quietly?
Saying we cannot understand our fate,
Must we only weep in sorrow?
The fertile lake bank has become,
Barren dry ground, oh...
Drowning in tears, it has wilted,
The red lotus!
Struggling hard, as the village folks,
Try to move forward, oh...
It has stopped at the street corner,
The crescent moon, oh...
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Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

'Kalangudhae Kann Kalangudhae' is an emotionally charged song from the film 'Vaathi' that laments the systemic denial of education and socio-economic mobility to underprivileged rural communities. Through evocative rural imagery—such as a leaking golden pot, a flawed diamond, and water-drawn patterns—the song captures the crushing weight of poverty and how commercialized education remains an unfulfilled dream for working-class families.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uvamaani / Uvameyam)

Neeru mela potta / Oru kolam aanadhae

Comparing commercialized, unattainable education to a pattern (kolam) drawn on water, highlighting its fleeting and impossible nature.

Contrast (Ethirhu)

Pasumpal veluppae / Karuppayiruchae

Contrasting light/whiteness with darkness/blackness to signify sudden loss and tragedy.

Monai (Initial Rhyme / Alliteration)

Mutti mutti ooru sanam / Munnae vara ooo

Repetition of initial consonant and vowel sounds creating a rhythmic mournful cadence.

Rhetorical Question

Kaiya katti vaaya pothi / Naangalum nikkanuma

Asking impassioned questions to challenge passivity and caste/class suppression.

Did you know?

Trivia

The song is composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar for the period social drama 'Vaathi' (titled 'Sir' in Telugu), directed by Venky Atluri. Sung poignantly by Vijay Yesudas with lyrics by Yugabharathi, the track serves as a pivotal emotional backdrop highlighting the struggle against the privatization and commercialization of education in the late 1990s.

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