Kanava Illai Kaatra
From Ratchagan · 1997
- Lyricist
- Vairamuthu
- Singer
- Srinivas
- Music director
- A. R. Rahman
- Details
- Ratchagan1997
Lyrics & meaning
| ♫ Tanglish lyrics | ↻ English translation |
|---|---|
| Male | |
| Kanavaa… illai kaatraa… | Is it a dream... or is it the breeze? |
| Kanavaa… nee.. kaatraa… | Are you a dream... or the breeze? |
| Male | |
| Kaiyil midhakkum kanavaa nee | Are you a dream floating in my hands? |
| Kai kaal mulaitha kaatraa nee.. | Are you the breeze that has sprouted arms and legs? |
| Kaiyil yendhiyum kanakkavillayae.. | Even when holding you in my arms, you feel weightless... |
| Nuraiyaal seidha silayaa nee… | Are you a statue carved out of foam? |
| Male | |
| Ippadi unnai yendhi kondae… | Carrying you like this endlessly... |
| Indira logam poi vidavaa | Shall I fly away to Indra's celestial realm? |
| Idaiyil konjam vali yeduthaalum | Even if my body aches a little along the way, |
| Chandira tharaiyil paayidavaa | Shall I leap onto the lunar surface? |
| Male | |
| Kaiyil midhakkum kanavaa nee | Are you a dream floating in my hands? |
| Kai kaal mulaitha kaatraa nee.. | Are you the breeze that has sprouted arms and legs? |
| Kaiyil yendhiyum kanakkavillayae.. | Even when holding you in my arms, you feel weightless... |
| Nuraiyaal seidha silayaa nee… | Are you a statue carved out of foam? |
| Male | |
| {Nilavil porulgal yedai izhakkum | Objects lose their weight on the moon, |
| Neerilum porul yedai izhakkum | Objects lose weight in water too, |
| Kaadhalil kooda yedai izhakkum | In love as well, weight vanishes, |
| Indru kandenadi | I witnessed that today! |
| Adhai kandu kondenadi} (2) | I realized that today! |
| Male | |
| {Kaadhal thaaimai irandu mattum | Only two things, love and motherhood, |
| Baaram yenbadhai ariyaadhu | Do not feel the burden of weight. |
| Un palingu mugathai paarthu kondaal | Looking at your crystal-clear face, |
| Pasiyo valiyo theriyaadhu} (2) | Neither hunger nor pain is felt. |
| Male | |
| Unnai mattum sumandhu nadandhaal | If I walk carrying only you, |
| Uyaram dhooram theriyaadhu | Neither height nor distance matters. |
| Unnai mattum sumandhu nadandhaal | If I walk carrying only you, |
| Uyaram dhooram theriyaadhu | Neither height nor distance matters. |
| Male | |
| Un mel matroru poo vizhundhaal | If even a single flower falls upon you, |
| Yennaal thaanga mudiyaadhu | I will not be able to bear it! |
| Male | |
| {Kaiyil midhakkum kanavaa nee | Are you a dream floating in my hands? |
| Kai kaal mulaitha kaatraa nee.. | Are you the breeze that has sprouted arms and legs? |
| Kaiyil yendhiyum kanakkavillayae.. | Even when holding you in my arms, you feel weightless... |
| Nuraiyaal seidha silayaa nee…} (2) | Are you a statue carved out of foam? |
| Male | |
| Kanavaa… nee.. kaatraa… | Are you a dream... or the breeze? |
| Kanavaa… nee.. kaatraa… | Are you a dream... or the breeze? |
கனவா...
இல்லை காற்றா...
கனவா.. நீ காற்றா...
Is it a dream... or is it the breeze?
Are you a dream... or the breeze?
கையில் மிதக்கும்
கனவா நீ கை கால் முளைத்த
காற்றா நீ கையில் ஏந்தியும்
கனக்கவில்லையே நுரையால்
செய்த சிலையா நீ
Are you a dream floating in my hands?
Are you the breeze that has sprouted arms and legs?
Even when holding you in my arms, you feel weightless...
Are you a statue carved out of foam?
இப்படி உன்னை
ஏந்தி கொண்டே இந்திர
லோகம் போய் விடவா
இடையில் கொஞ்சம்
வலி எடுத்தாலும் சந்திர
தரையில் பாயிடவா
Carrying you like this endlessly...
Shall I fly away to Indra's celestial realm?
Even if my body aches a little along the way,
Shall I leap onto the lunar surface?
கையில் மிதக்கும்
கனவா நீ கை கால் முளைத்த
காற்றா நீ கையில் ஏந்தியும்
கனக்கவில்லையே நுரையால்
செய்த சிலையா நீ
Are you a dream floating in my hands?
Are you the breeze that has sprouted arms and legs?
Even when holding you in my arms, you feel weightless...
Are you a statue carved out of foam?
{ நிலவில் பொருள்கள்
எடை இழக்கும் நீரிலும்
பொருள் எடை இழக்கும்
காதலில் கூட எடை இழக்கும்
இன்று கண்டேனடி அதை
கண்டு கொண்டேனடி } (2)
Objects lose their weight on the moon,
Objects lose weight in water too,
In love as well, weight vanishes,
I witnessed that today!
I realized that today!
{ காதல் தாய்மை
இரண்டு மட்டும் பாரம்
என்பதை அறியாது உன்
பளிங்கு முகத்தை பார்த்து
கொண்டால்.பசியோ
வலியோ தெரியாது } (2)
Only two things, love and motherhood,
Do not feel the burden of weight.
Looking at your crystal-clear face,
Neither hunger nor pain is felt.
உன்னை மட்டும்
சுமந்து நடந்தால் உயரம்
தூரம் தெரியாது உன்னை
மட்டும் சுமந்து நடந்தால்
உயரம் தூரம் தெரியாது
If I walk carrying only you,
Neither height nor distance matters.
If I walk carrying only you,
Neither height nor distance matters.
உன் மேல்
மற்றொரு பூ விழுந்தால்
என்னால் தாங்க முடியாது
If even a single flower falls upon you,
I will not be able to bear it!
{ கையில் மிதக்கும்
கனவா நீ கை கால் முளைத்த
காற்றா நீ கையில் ஏந்தியும்
கனக்கவில்லையே நுரையால்
செய்த சிலையா நீ } (2)
Are you a dream floating in my hands?
Are you the breeze that has sprouted arms and legs?
Even when holding you in my arms, you feel weightless...
Are you a statue carved out of foam?
கனவா..
நீ காற்றா... கனவா..
நீ காற்றா...
Are you a dream... or the breeze?
Are you a dream... or the breeze?
Kanavaa… illai kaatraa…
Is it a dream... or is it the breeze?
Kanavaa… nee.. kaatraa…
Are you a dream... or the breeze?
Kaiyil midhakkum kanavaa nee
Are you a dream floating in my hands?
Kai kaal mulaitha kaatraa nee..
Are you the breeze that has sprouted arms and legs?
Kaiyil yendhiyum kanakkavillayae..
Even when holding you in my arms, you feel weightless...
Nuraiyaal seidha silayaa nee…
Are you a statue carved out of foam?
Ippadi unnai yendhi kondae…
Carrying you like this endlessly...
Indira logam poi vidavaa
Shall I fly away to Indra's celestial realm?
Idaiyil konjam vali yeduthaalum
Even if my body aches a little along the way,
Chandira tharaiyil paayidavaa
Shall I leap onto the lunar surface?
Kaiyil midhakkum kanavaa nee
Are you a dream floating in my hands?
Kai kaal mulaitha kaatraa nee..
Are you the breeze that has sprouted arms and legs?
Kaiyil yendhiyum kanakkavillayae..
Even when holding you in my arms, you feel weightless...
Nuraiyaal seidha silayaa nee…
Are you a statue carved out of foam?
{Nilavil porulgal yedai izhakkum
Objects lose their weight on the moon,
Neerilum porul yedai izhakkum
Objects lose weight in water too,
Kaadhalil kooda yedai izhakkum
In love as well, weight vanishes,
Indru kandenadi
I witnessed that today!
Adhai kandu kondenadi} (2)
I realized that today!
{Kaadhal thaaimai irandu mattum
Only two things, love and motherhood,
Baaram yenbadhai ariyaadhu
Do not feel the burden of weight.
Un palingu mugathai paarthu kondaal
Looking at your crystal-clear face,
Pasiyo valiyo theriyaadhu} (2)
Neither hunger nor pain is felt.
Unnai mattum sumandhu nadandhaal
If I walk carrying only you,
Uyaram dhooram theriyaadhu
Neither height nor distance matters.
Unnai mattum sumandhu nadandhaal
If I walk carrying only you,
Uyaram dhooram theriyaadhu
Neither height nor distance matters.
Un mel matroru poo vizhundhaal
If even a single flower falls upon you,
Yennaal thaanga mudiyaadhu
I will not be able to bear it!
{Kaiyil midhakkum kanavaa nee
Are you a dream floating in my hands?
Kai kaal mulaitha kaatraa nee..
Are you the breeze that has sprouted arms and legs?
Kaiyil yendhiyum kanakkavillayae..
Even when holding you in my arms, you feel weightless...
Nuraiyaal seidha silayaa nee…} (2)
Are you a statue carved out of foam?
Kanavaa… nee.. kaatraa…
Are you a dream... or the breeze?
Kanavaa… nee.. kaatraa…
Are you a dream... or the breeze?
Beyond the translation
Song interpretation
Kanavaa Illai Kaatraa from the 1997 movie Ratchagan is a surreal, poetic ode to the sensation of weightlessness that love brings. The protagonist carries his beloved in his arms and marvels at how light she feels, questioning if she is a floating dream, the wind embodied with limbs, or a delicate sculpture fashioned out of seafoam. He expresses a desire to carry her all the way to heaven or the moon, unfazed by physical exertion. Vairamuthu brilliantly connects physical phenomena—such as reduced gravity on the moon and buoyancy in water—to the emotional buoyancy experienced in true love and maternal care. The song poetically asserts that carrying the person you love erases all perceptions of hunger, pain, distance, and difficulty.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Metaphor (Uruvagam)
“Kai kaal mulaitha kaatraa nee..”
Comparing the heroine to breeze with limbs ('Kai kaal mulaitha kaatraa') and a statue made of foam ('Nuraiyaal seidha silayaa').
Hyperbole (Uyarvu Navirtchi Ani)
“Un mel matroru poo vizhundhaal Yennaal thaanga mudiyaadhu”
Exaggerating sensitivity by stating that even the weight of a flower falling on the beloved would be unbearable.
Scientific Analogy / Scientific Imagery
“Nilavil porulgal yedai izhakkum Neerilum porul yedai izhakkum”
Drawing parallels between physics concepts (reduced weight in low-gravity environments and water buoyancy) and emotional weightlessness in love.
Rhyme & Assonance (Yethugai / Monai)
“Nilavil porulgal yedai izhakkum”
Rhythmic repetition of starting sounds and second-letter consonances (e.g., Nilavil / Neerilum / Kaadhalil).
Did you know?
Trivia
The song features music composed by A.R. Rahman with vocals by Unni Menon and K.S. Chithra, picturized on Nagarjuna and Sushmita Sen. Lyricist Vairamuthu famously integrated principles of physics—specifically gravity on the moon and Archimedes' principle of buoyancy in water—to create a unique metaphorical comparison with the weightlessness felt when in love.
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