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Lyrics & meaning

Kolakolaya Munthirikka Sad

From Palootti Valartha Kili · 1976

Lyricist
Kannadasan
Singers
S. Janaki, Chorus
Music director
Ilayaraja
Details
Palootti Valartha Kili1976

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Chorus
Kolakolaya mundhrikkaBunches and bunches of cashews,
Neraiya neraiya suthivaaCircle around in abundance!
Kolla adichavan engirukaanWhere is the thief who looted?
Koottathila iruppaan kanduppudiHe will be in the crowd, go find him!
Female
Kolakolaya mundhrikkaBunches and bunches of cashews,
Neraiya neraiya suthivaaCircle around in abundance!
Kolla adichavan engirukaanWhere is the thief who looted?
Koottathila iruppaan kanduppudiHe will be in the crowd, go find him!
Female
Kannodu kannuEye to eye,
Rendu onnoda onnuTwo intertwined as one.
Kannodu kannuEye to eye,
Rendu onnoda onnuTwo intertwined as one.
Kallam illai mullum illa poovilaeIn a flower without guile or thorns,
Kannaa ododi vaaOh Kanna, run and come!
Raaja vaa..raaja vaa..Come my king... come my king...
Female
Thaaiyarai paarthathillai kangalMy eyes have never seen my mother,
Andha thaaimai avar koduthaarHe gave us that very motherly affection.
Vaayara kettadhillai anbaiI had never heard love expressed so deeply,
Andha vaazhvai avar koduthaarHe gave us that wonderful life.
Female
Kadavul idaiyil thaduthaarDid God intervene in between?
Kanneerai nam veettil yen koduthaarWhy did He give tears in our home?
Female
Thavara nenachu uravai marandhuThinking wrongly and forgetting our relationship,
Ilaiya pirichu enna virundhuWhat kind of feast is it to serve food on separate leaves?
Kannaa ododi vaa..raaja vaa..Oh Kanna, run and come... come my king...
Raaja vaa..raaja vaa..Come my king... come my king...
Chorus
Kolakolaya mundhrikkaBunches and bunches of cashews,
Neraiya neraiya suthivaaCircle around in abundance!
Kolla adichavan engirukaanWhere is the thief who looted?
Koottathila iruppaan kanduppudiHe will be in the crowd, go find him!
HahahahaHahahaha
Female
Aanaaga nee pirantha velaiWhen you were born as a man,
Un kobam valarndhadhaiyaaYour anger grew, my dear brother.
Pennaaga naan pirandha paavamBecause of the sin of me being born a woman,
En sogam valarndhadhaiyaaMy sorrow grew, my dear brother.
Female
Irundha inaindhu iruppomIf we exist, let us stay united,
Aiyaavai kannaaga naam paarppomLet us cherish our elder like our own eyes.
Female
Enakkum unakkum kidaitha uravuThe relationship bound between you and me,
Iraivan kodutha karunai parisuIs a merciful gift granted by the Almighty.
Kannaa ododi vaa..raaja vaa..Oh Kanna, run and come... come my king...
Raaja vaa..raaja vaa..Come my king... come my king...
Female
Kannodu kannuEye to eye,
Rendu onnoda onnuTwo intertwined as one.
Kallam illai mullum illa poovilaeIn a flower without guile or thorns,
Kannaa ododi vaaOh Kanna, run and come
Raaja vaa..raaja vaa..Come my king... come my king...
Chorus
Kolakolaya mundhrikkaBunches and bunches of cashews,
Neraiya neraiya suthivaaCircle around in abundance!
Kolla adichavan engirukaanWhere is the thief who looted?
Koottathila iruppaan kanduppudiHe will be in the crowd, go find him!
Hahhahah…Hahhahah…

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This poignant track from Palootti Valartha Kili (1976) cleverly weaves a traditional Tamil children's game rhyme ('Kola Kolaya Mundhirikka') into a deeply emotional appeal between siblings. A sister sings to her brother, Kanna, pleading with him to cast aside anger and misunderstandings that threaten to split their family apart. She reminds him of the maternal love and guidance provided by their guardian figure and laments how fate brought sorrow into their once-happy home. The lyrics highlight the sanctity of sibling ties as a divine gift. The sister urges reconciliation, emphasizing that separating into isolated lives destroys the essence of family, and asks her brother to join her in taking care of their elder like their own eyes.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Folk Refrain / Cultural Allusion

Kolakolaya mundhrikka / Neraiya neraiya suthivaa

Uses the traditional Tamil children's game chant 'Kola Kolaya Mundhirikka' to evoke innocence and contrast childhood unity with adult conflict.

Rhyme / Monorhyme (Iyaipoo)

Kannodu kannu / Rendu onnoda onnu

End-rhyming with matching phonetics ('kannu' and 'onnoda onnu') creates a playful yet rhythmic melodic cadence.

Antithesis / Juxtaposition

Aanaaga nee pirantha velai / Un kobam valarndhadhaiyaa / Pennaaga naan pirandha paavam / En sogam valarndhadhaiyaa

Contrasts the male role of anger with the female role of enduring sorrow, expressing gendered emotional responses to family strife.

Metaphor (Uvamai)

Aiyaavai kannaaga naam paarppom

Likens caring for a parent/elder figure to protecting one's own eyes ('kannaaga naam paarppom').

Did you know?

Trivia

The song's hook line 'Kola Kolaya Mundhirikka' originates from a centuries-old traditional Tamil circle game played by children (similar to Drop the Handkerchief). Lyricist Kannadasan skillfully adapted this playful nursery rhyme into a dramatic narrative song about sibling rivalry and reconciliation in Ilaiyaraaja's early musical period.

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