Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Kangal Irandum

From En Thangai (1952 Film) · 1952

Lyricist
Narasimman
Singer
A. P. Komala
Music director
C. N. Pandurangan
Details
En Thangai (1952 Film)1952

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Meelaa…aaa…thuyarama….aa….Is this an unceasing, endless sorrow?
Maadhaa..aaa…. manamilagaadhoOh Mother, will your heart not soften?
Female
Kangalirandum izhandhaval paedhaiA helpless, innocent girl who has lost both her eyes,
Kangalirandum izhandhaval paedhaiA helpless, innocent girl who has lost both her eyes,
Kavalaigalaalae kalaithaen ilaithaenI am exhausted and withered away by worries,
Kavalaigalaalae kalaithaen ilaithaenI am exhausted and withered away by worries,
Kangalirandum izhandhaval paedhaiA helpless, innocent girl who has lost both her eyes.
Female
Penn enil paeyum irangum enbaaraeThey say that even a ghost would take pity on a woman,
Penn enil paeyum irangum enbaaraeThey say that even a ghost would take pity on a woman,
Pennai penn vaattum paadhagam paareerBehold the sinner's cruelty where a woman torments another woman,
Pennai penn vaattum paadhagam paareerBehold the sinner's cruelty where a woman torments another woman.
Female
Veettai mezhughida vendumI must clean and mop the house,
Veettai mezhughida vendumI must clean and mop the house,
Vaetti thuvaithida vendumI must wash the veshti (garment),
Vaetti thuvaithida vendumI must wash the veshti (garment),
Maavai araithida vendumI must grind the flour,
Maavai araithida vendumI must grind the flour,
Maadaai uzhaithida vendum…mm…I must toil hard like a bull...
Female
Kavalaigal migavaagudhaeMy worries are increasing greatly,
Endhan kaalgal thadumaarudhaeMy legs are faltering and stumbling,
Kavalaigal migavaagudhaeMy worries are increasing greatly,
Endhan kaalgal thadumaarudhaeMy legs are faltering and stumbling,
Kaanen oru vazhiyaeI see no way out,
Gadhi kalangi vaadurenPanicked and confused about my fate, I wither away,
Ammaa ammaa ammaaMother, Mother, Mother!

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This poignant song from the 1952 film 'En Thangai' expresses the sorrow and helplessness of a blind girl forced to perform relentless household labor under cruel treatment. The protagonist laments her tragic state, questioning why even basic empathy is denied to her by another woman, evoking the famous Tamil saying that even ghosts show mercy to women in distress.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Iyaibu (End Rhyme / Repetition)

Veettai mezhughida vendum / Vaetti thuvaithida vendum / Maavai araithida vendum

The repetition of the suffix 'vendum' (must do) at the end of consecutive lines emphasizes the endless list of grueling domestic chores forced upon the protagonist.

Etukai (Second-letter Rhyme)

Veettai mezhughida vendum / Vaetti thuvaithida vendum

The second consonant sound ('tt' / 't') rhymes in 'Veettai' and 'Vaetti', adding rhythmic cadence to her grief.

Pazhamozhi (Proverbial Allusion)

Penn enil paeyum irangum enbaarae

The line uses a traditional Tamil adage ('Penn enil paeyum irangum') to highlight the irony of a human showing less mercy than a ghost.

Did you know?

Trivia

'En Thangai' (1952), starring M. G. Ramachandran, was based on a hugely popular stage play of the same name. The play and film depicted a tragic melodrama about sibling devotion, where the blind sister's suffering forms a key emotional core of the narrative.

Keep listening

More from En Thangai (1952 Film)