- Lyricist
- Kumaraguru
- Singer
- R. S. Swarnalatha
- Music director
- Vijay – Chithar
- Movie name
- Unnai Naan Vazhthugiren
- Movie release year
- 1989
- Lyrics added on
- 12 Jun 2021
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This song is a lively and rhythmic folk vendor song sung by a woman selling various edible leafy greens (keerai) in a rural or street marketplace. She calls out to potential customers, advertising various traditional varieties like Ponnanganni, Thandukeerai, Agathikeerai, Araikkeerai, Sirukkeerai, and Mulaikkeerai. She humorously complains about buyers touching the produce without purchasing, while enticingly describing their quality, tenderness, and affordability. She highlights how tender they are by noting that even toothless elderly grandparents can eat them without difficulty, making it a playful, slice-of-life street song.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Monaich chol (Alliteration)
“Idhu keezhakara keera”
Repetition of initial consonant sounds across adjacent words, such as 'Keera' and 'Keezhakara'.
Edupuch chol / Folk Call Response
“Keera vaangalaiyoo keerai”
The traditional street vendor call format, inviting buyers using rhythmic market dialect ('vaangalaiyoo').
Rhyme (Esubu / Iyaibu)
“Arakkeera venumunnaa ambathu kaasunga / Sirukkeera ellaam ingae sillara thaanunga”
Ending lines with similar rhyming sounds ('kaasunga', 'thaanunga') creating a cheerful vendor cadence.
Did you know?
Trivia
Singing vendor songs was a popular motif in mid-20th-century to late-80s Tamil cinema, often rendered with expressive folk cadence. Swarnalatha was frequently chosen for such high-pitched, expressive street-folk solos due to her bright, energetic vocal texture.
Keep listening
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