Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Kandhaga Boomiyile

From Malayan · 2009

Lyricist
Snehan
Singers
Krishnaraj, Shavarya
Music director
Dhina
Details
Malayan2009

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Chorus
…………………………………...
Male
Gandhaga boomiyilae……In this land of sulfur...
Vendhadhu enga kolamOur community burned to ashes.
Sondhaththa tholaichittu…..Having lost our loved ones...
Padharudhae paadhisanamHalf of our people are trembling in panic.
Male
Gandhaga boomiyilae……In this land of sulfur...
Vendhadhu enga kolamOur community burned to ashes.
Sondhaththa tholaichittu…..Having lost our loved ones...
Padharudhae paadhisanamHalf of our people are trembling in panic.
Male
Endha vazhi eman vandhaanFrom which path the God of death came,
Yaarukkumae theriyalaiyaeNo one really knows.
Aabathukku aandavanumEven God did not run to help us
Odivandhu odhavalaiyaeIn our time of danger.
Male
Kaatrillaa azhuguralA windless cry of agony
Kaadhakkizhi kiradhaePierces through the ears.
Ozhaicha odambellaamAll the hard-working bodies
Urugi kedakkudhaeLie melted on the ground.
Male
Gandhaga boomiyilae……In this land of sulfur...
Vendhadhu enga kolamOur community burned to ashes.
Sondhaththa tholaichittu…..Having lost our loved ones...
Padharudhae paadhisanamHalf of our people are trembling in panic.
Male
Kanneer sindhum vaazhkkai idhuThis is a life shedding tears,
Kaapaathum saami edhuWhich deity is there to protect us?
Appan irundha aathaa illaIf the father is alive, the mother is not,
Aathaa irundhaa appan illaIf the mother is alive, the father is not.
Kaalu irundhaa kannu illaIf there are legs, there are no eyes,
Kannu irundhaa kaadhu illaIf there are eyes, there are no ears.
Male
Vayithu pozhappukkuJust to feed our stomachs,
Varushamellaam vaaduromaeWe suffer throughout the year.
Vayithu pullaikku appan yaaruWho is the father of the child in the womb?
Theduromae….We are left searching....
Maranaththa madiyilaeIn the lap of death,
Kattikkittu vaazhuromaeEmbracing it, we live.
Male
Gandhaga mannumelaUpon this sulfur-laden soil,
Vendha soraaLike cooked rice,
Sedhari sedhari ponomaeWe got scattered and destroyed.
Gandhaga mannumelaUpon this sulfur-laden soil,
Vendha soraaLike cooked rice,
Sedhari sedhari ponomaeWe got scattered and destroyed.
Male
Gandhaga boomiyilae……In this land of sulfur...
Vendhadhu enga kolamOur community burned to ashes.
Sondhaththa tholaichittu…..Having lost our loved ones...
Padharudhae paadhisanamHalf of our people are trembling in panic.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

'Gandhaga boomiyilae' from the movie Malayan (2009) is a heartbreaking lament highlighting the unsafe working conditions and tragic lives of cracker/match-factory workers in sulfur-rich industrial belts (such as Sivakasi). Lyricist Snehan vividly captures the grief of sudden fire mishaps that destroy entire families, leaving children orphaned, workers disabled, and communities in perpetual trauma.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Simile / Metaphor

Vendha soraa / Sedhari sedhari ponomae

Comparing human bodies and lives blown apart in explosion to scattered cooked rice ('Vendha soraa sedhari sedhari ponomae').

Contrast / Parallelism

Appan irundha aathaa illa / Aathaa irundhaa appan illa

Syntactic parallelism contrasting structural losses in families and physical disabilities caused by explosions.

Auditory Imagery

Kaatrillaa azhugural / Kaadhakkizhi kiradhae

Evokes a silent, suffocating scream piercing through the ears in the aftermath of a blast.

Did you know?

Trivia

The song powerfully addresses the socio-economic tragedy of industrial accidents in southern Tamil Nadu's firecracker manufacturing hubs, a recurring subject handled with emotional depth by lyricist Snehan.

Keep listening

More from Malayan