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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Kalyanam Sorkkathil

From Meendum Pallavi · 1986

Lyricist
Pulamaipithan
Singers
Malaysia Vasudevan, Vani Jairam
Music director
M. S. Vishwanathan
Details
Meendum Pallavi1986

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
MarriageMarriage
Male :Happy marriageMale: Happy marriage
Female :Happy marriageFemale: Happy marriage
Both :Happy marriageBoth: Happy marriage
Female
Kalyaanam…mm…Marriage... mm...
Male :Sorkkaththil nichchayippathaaMale: Is it decided in heaven?
Female :Aahaa illai illaiFemale: Aha, no, no!
Sorkkaththai nichchayippathuIt is what decides heaven!
Male
Kalyaanam…mm…Marriage... mm...
Female :Sorkkaththil nichchayippathaaFemale: Is it decided in heaven?
Male :Aahaa illai illaiMale: Aha, no, no!
Sorkkaththai nichchayippathuIt is what decides heaven!
Female
Megangal melathaalangalClouds are the ceremonial drums
Minnalgal vara dheepangalLightnings are the welcoming lamps
Both :Megangal melathaalangalBoth: Clouds are the ceremonial drums
Minnalgal vara dheepangalLightnings are the welcoming lamps
Male :Ilamaiyin kanavugalMale: Dreams of youth
Oorvalam poguthu happy happyGo in a grand procession, happy happy
Female
Kalyaanam…mm…Marriage... mm...
Sorkkaththil nichchayippathaaIs it decided in heaven?
Male :Aahaa illai illaiMale: Aha, no, no!
Sorkkaththai nichchayippathuIt is what decides heaven!
Male
Pani neerae kodhikkuthu inneramEven dew water boils at this hour
Enai neeyae anaiththu kol nenjoramHold me close to your heart
Female :Pani neerae kodhikkuthu inneramFemale: Even dew water boils at this hour
Enai neeyae anaiththu kol nenjoramHold me close to your heart
Male
Ini naan yaedhu nee yaedhu thedi paarththukolWhere am I and where are you now? Search and see for yourself
Udal engengum konjaatho thaen oottrugalWon't streams of honey caress all over the body?
Female :Enai neerodu neer pola unnil saerththukkolFemale: Blend me into you like water mixing with water
Enai neengaamal thoongaamal nee paarththukkolKeep watch over me without parting or sleeping
Male
Idaiyinil iththanai idaiveli yaenadi kannaeWhy is there so much distance between us, my dear?
Female :Edhuvarai sugam ini adhuvarai anupavi anbeFemale: Enjoy the bliss as far as it goes from now on, my love
Male
Kalyaanam…mm…Marriage... mm...
Female :Sorkkaththil nichchayippathaaFemale: Is it decided in heaven?
Female
Mazhaikkaalam aruginil nee vanthaalIf you come near, it feels like the rainy season
Veyyil kaayum iravilum nee sendraalIf you leave, sunlight burns even in the night
Mazhaikkaalam aruginil nee vanthaalIf you come near, it feels like the rainy season
Veyyil kaayum iravilum nee sendraalIf you leave, sunlight burns even in the night
Male
Adi kannae un kaar koondhalOh my dear, your dark thick hair
Thongum thottangalIs like hanging gardens
Un kai rendum en tholil poo paarangalBoth your arms on my shoulders are delicate floral burdens
Female :Oru sevvaanam poo thoovumFemale: A crimson sky sprinkles flowers
Maalai kaalangalDuring the evening hours
Inba thaenodai naan endru neeraadungalBathe in me, calling me a stream of sweet honey
Male
Nenjanai panjanaiMy heart is a soft bed
Nee thara vanjanai yaenoWhy is there trickery in what you give?
Female :Niththila muththiraiFemale: A pearl-like imprint
Nee tharum idangalil thaenoIs there honey in the spots where you mark?
Male
Kalyaanam…mm…Marriage... mm...
Female :Sorkkaththil nichchayippathaaFemale: Is it decided in heaven?
Male :Aahaa illai illaiMale: Aha, no, no!
Sorkkaththai nichchayippathu….It is what decides heaven!...

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

The song 'Kalyaanam' from Meendum Pallavi (1986) presents a playful twist on the traditional saying 'Marriages are made in heaven'. Instead, the lovers argue that marriage itself creates heaven on earth. Through poetically evocative imagery, Pulamaipithan crafts a dialogue celebrating romantic togetherness, sensual warmth, and physical and emotional unity between newlyweds. Composed by M. S. Viswanathan and sung with vibrant energy by Malaysia Vasudevan and Vani Jairam, the track contrasts cold dew with the heat of passion, natural elements like rain and sunshine, and metaphors of nature celebrating their marital bond.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvam)

Megangal melathaalangal / Minnalgal vara dheepangal

Nature elements are directly equated to wedding rituals: clouds are called percussion drums (melathaalangal) and lightning flashes are described as welcoming lamps (vara dheepangal).

Simile (Uvamai)

Enai neerodu neer pola unnil saerththukkol

The bride requests her lover to blend her into him seamlessly, drawing a direct comparison to water merging into water.

Hyperbole (Ushnavam / Atayokthi)

Pani neerae kodhikkuthu inneram

Exaggerating the intense warmth of passion by stating that cold dew water boils at this time.

Oxymoron / Imagery

Veyyil kaayum iravilum nee sendraal

The imagery contrasts night and burning sunlight ('Veyyil kaayum iravilum') to convey the intense distress caused by separation.

Assonance & Internal Rhyme (Edhugai / Monai)

Nenjanai panjanai

Rhythmic rhyming words 'Nenjanai' (chest/bed) and 'panjanai' (soft mattress) enhance the poetic flow.

Did you know?

Trivia

The song features a famous line twisting the popular Tamil adage 'Sorkkaththil Nichchayippathuu Kalyaanam' (Marriage is decided in heaven). Lyricist Pulamaipithan humorously turns it into 'Kalyaanam sorkkaththai nichchayippathu' (Marriage is what decides/creates heaven), making it a memorable pop-culture lyric in 1980s Tamil cinema.

Keep listening

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