- Lyricist
- Vaali
- Singer
- P. Susheela
- Music director
- Shankar Ganesh
- Movie name
- Sivappu Nila
- Movie release year
- 1985
- Lyrics added on
- 11 Jan 2023
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This emotional song from 'Sivappu Nila' expresses the deep sorrow and shared vulnerability of two sisters navigating hardship and societal abandonment. The elder sister comforts her younger sibling while lamenting their powerlessness as women in a society that leaves them with no secure refuge. She questions why siblings grow up together only to scatter like birds leaving a sanctuary, comparing their dry, barren life to a dried-up lake. The lyrics poignantly critique the societal expectation that a woman belongs either to her parental home or her marital home. When both places reject or fail her, she is left completely destitute. Vaali's evocative words, delivered with deep pathos by P. Susheela, capture the plight of women trapped in helplessness, bound together by sisterly affection amidst unfair destiny.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Adukku Thodar (Repetition for Emphasis)
“Keladi keladi thangachi”
The word 'Keladi' is repeated back-to-back to convey urgency, intimacy, and distress while calling out to her sister.
Metaphor (Uvamai)
“Intha veedu enna vanthu pogum vedanthaangalaa”
Compares the maternal home to Vedanthangal, a sanctuary where birds stay temporarily and migrate away, symbolizing how siblings leave their childhood home.
Iyaibu (End Rhyme)
“Keladi keladi thangachi / Antha saamiyum illa en katchi”
The lines end with rhyming words 'thangachi', 'katchi', and 'pottachchi', creating a rhythmic and mournful cadence.
Metaphor (Barren Lake Metaphor)
“Neerillaama kaanji poyi nikkuthu yaeri entha”
Compares a household drained of joy and support to a dried-up lake ('neerillaama kaanji poyi nikkuthu yaeri').
Did you know?
Trivia
Composed by the veteran duo Shankar-Ganesh and sung by P. Susheela, this song stands out in 1980s Tamil cinema for its moving depiction of sisterhood and social vulnerability, with Vaali's lyrics famously capturing the existential plight of displaced women.
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