- Lyricist
- Vairamuthu
- Singer
- P. Jayachandran
- Music director
- A. R. Rahman
- Movie name
- Kadhalan
- Movie release year
- 1994
- Lyrics added on
- 15 Sept 2017
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This tender lullaby snippet from the film Kadhalan expresses deep affection and pampering for a beloved young girl child, affectionately addressing her as a royal queen. The speaker describes rustic acts of love, such as making sweet boxes from tender palm leaves and tying a simple cradle to a tree branch. It invokes rich Tamil cultural traditions, where the maternal uncle plays a central role in putting the child to sleep with custom tunes. The song gently lulls the child to rest by portraying her as a princess who chose the warmth of family and nature over a cold palace.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Metaphor (Urvagam)
“Alli rani kannurangu”
Refers to the young child as 'Alli Rani' (Queen Alli), a legendary female ruler in Tamil folklore, elevating the child's status out of deep maternal endearment.
Cultural Imagery & Allusion
“Mamanavan mettu katta”
Invokes the traditional Tamil familial bond of the 'Maman' (maternal uncle) composing a melody ('mettu') to put his niece to sleep.
Pastoral Imagery
“Kuruthola petti senju”
Evokes vivid rural sights of coconut trees, palm leaf craft boxes ('kuruthola petti'), and tree-branch cradles.
Did you know?
Trivia
Composed by A. R. Rahman with lyrics by Vairamuthu for the 1994 film Kadhalan, this short track beautifully encapsulates the traditional Tamil 'Thaalattu' (lullaby) genre, blending folk simplicity with sweet, soothing vocal hums.
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