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Thenmerku Paruvakaatru album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Kalli kaattil Pirantha Thaye Song Lyrics – Unni Menon

From Thenmerku Paruvakaatru · 2010

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singer
Unni Menon
Music director
N. R. Raghunanthan
Movie name
Thenmerku Paruvakaatru
Movie release year
2010
Lyrics added on
8 Mar 2017

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Kallikaatil pirandha thayae
Enna kall odachi vazhartha neeyae
Mullukaatil mulacha thayae
Enna mullu thaika vidala neeyae
Kaadaikum… kaatu kurivikum
Endha pudharukkul idamundu…
Kodaikum.. adikum kulirukum
Thayi odhungathan idamunda.. ahhh.
Karattu metayae mathuna
Ava kallapulinji kanji oothuna
Karattu metayae mathuna
Ava kallapulinji kanji oothuna
Kallikaatil pirandha thayae
Enna kall odachi vazhartha neeyae
Mullukaatil mulacha thayae
Enna mullu thaika vidala neeyae
Olavu kaatula vedha vedhapa
Onan karatula koozh kudippa
Avaaran-guzhaiyila kai thudaipa
Paavamappa …..oohooo…
Veli mullil ava veragedupa
Naali arisi vachu olayerippa
Pulla unda micham undu usur vazharpa
Thiyagamappa …
Kizhaku vidiyum munna mulikkura
Ava olakka pidichuthan therakura
Manna kindithan polaikira
Udal makkipoga mattum ozhaikura
Kallikaatil pirandha thayae
Enna kall odachi vazhartha neeyae
Mullukaatil mulacha thayae
Enna mullu thaika vidala neeyae
Thangam thani thangam maasu-illa
Thaaipal onnil mattum thoosu illa
Thaaivazhi sondham pola pasamila
Nesamilla …ooh…hoooo….
Aaru illa ooril kinaru irukku
Kovil illa ooril thaayi irukku
Thaai illa ooril nizhal irukka
Anbil nesam irukkaaa ..
Sondham nooru sondham irukkudhu
Peththa thaayi pola onnu nelaikudha
Sami nooru sami irukkudhu
Ada thaayi rendu thaayi irukkudha
Kallikaatil pirandha thayae
Enna kall odachi vazhartha neeyae
Mullukaatil mulacha thayae
Enna mullu thaika vidala neeyae
O mother, born in the barren cactus land,
you broke stones with your hands to raise me.
O mother, who grew up amid the thorns,
you never let a single thorn pierce me.
Even for the quail and the wild sparrow,
there is shelter inside some bush.
But against the blazing heat and the biting cold,
is there any shelter for a mother to take cover?
She transformed the dry and rocky hillock;
she squeezed stone to feed me porridge.
She transformed the dry and rocky hillock;
she squeezed stone to feed me porridge.
O mother, born in the barren cactus land,
you broke stones with your hands to raise me.
O mother, who grew up amid the thorns,
you never let a single thorn pierce me.
She sows seeds in the ploughed field,
and drinks her porridge on the lizard-roamed dry hill.
She wipes her hands on wild green leaves;
oh, it breaks the heart...
She gathers firewood from thorny fences,
and cooks a small measure of rice over the hearth.
She survives on whatever her child leaves behind;
oh, what a great sacrifice!
She wakes up before dawn breaks in the east,
and opens the day holding the pounding pestle.
She makes a living by toiling in the soil,
and works hard until her body wears away.
O mother, born in the barren cactus land,
you broke stones with your hands to raise me.
O mother, who grew up amid the thorns,
you never let a single thorn pierce me.
Pure gold has no blemish;
mother's milk alone has no impurity.
There is no love like a mother's affection,
no bond so deep...
In a village without a river, there is a well;
in a village without a temple, there is a mother.
In a place without a mother, can there be any shade?
Can there be any true love and warmth?
There may be a hundred relatives,
but does any bond last like the mother who bore you?
There may be a hundred gods,
but can there ever be two mothers?
O mother, born in the barren cactus land,
you broke stones with your hands to raise me.
O mother, who grew up amid the thorns,
you never let a single thorn pierce me.
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Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

Kallikaatil Pirandha Thayae from the film Thenmerku Paruvakaatru is a poignant ode to a mother's selfless sacrifice, resilience, and unyielding love amidst harsh rural poverty. Set against the arid backdrop of southern Tamil Nadu, the lyrics describe a mother who breaks stones and tills rough land to nurture her child, prioritizing his comfort while shielding him from life's literal and metaphorical thorns. She sacrifices her own meals, waking before dawn to toil until exhaustion, demanding nothing in return. The song emphasizes the unique and irreplaceable stature of a mother, comparing her presence to a sanctuary in a desolate landscape. It highlights that while one might find a hundred gods or relatives, a mother's supreme, untainted devotion stands unparalleled in human existence.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Ethugai (Second-letter Rhyming)

“Kallikaatil pirandha thayae / Mullukaatil mulacha thayae”

Matching of the second consonant sound ('llu') across consecutive lines to create a rhythmic floral cadence.

Metaphor (Uvamaani/Uvameyam)

“Mullukaatil mulacha thayae”

Comparing the mother growing in a thorn forest ('Mullukaatil mulacha') to represent her resilience in an unforgiving, impoverished environment.

Antithesis / Contrast

“Enna mullu thaika vidala neeyae”

Contrasting the mother's hard, prickly environment ('Mullukaadu') with her soft, protective care ensuring no thorn pricks her child.

Rhetorical Questioning

“Sami nooru sami irukkudhu / Ada thaayi rendu thaayi irukkudha”

Using questions to emphasize the singular and divine status of a mother compared to the abundance of gods or relatives.

Did you know?

Trivia

Vairamuthu won the National Film Award for Best Lyrics at the 58th National Film Awards for this song. The song's evocative imagery draws directly from Vairamuthu's personal upbringing in the drought-prone landscape of Vadugapatti in Theni district, themes he also explored in his famous novel Karuvaachi Kaaviyam.

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