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Lyrics & meaning

Koondu Kulla Enna Vechu

From Chinna Gounder · 1992

Lyricist
R. V. Udhaya Kumar
Singers
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki
Music director
Ilayaraja
Movie name
Chinna Gounder
Movie release year
1992
Lyrics added on
9 Feb 2017

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
{Koondukulla enna vechu koodi ninna oora vittu
Koondukulla ponathenna kola kiliyae} (2)
{Adi maanae maanae unnathaanae
Enni naanum naalum thavichenae} (2)
Koondukulla enna vechu koodi ninna oora vittu
Koondukulla ponathenna kola kiliyae
Kannu valathu kannu thaana thudichuthunaa
Yetho nadakuminnu pechu
Maanam koraiyuminnu maasu padiyuminnu
Veenaa kathai mudinju pochu
Eesaana moolaiyila lesana palli chatham
Maaman perai solli pesudhu
Aaraatha sogam thannai theeraama sethu vachu
Oorum senthu ennai yesuthu
Maamaa maamaa unnathaanae
Enni naanum naalum thavichenae
Koondukulla enna vechu koodi ninna oora vittu
Koondukulla ponathenna kola kiliyae
Koondukulla unna vechu koodi ninna oora vittu
Koondukulla vantha indha kola kiliyae
Thennankilaiyum thendral kaathum kuyilum
Adi maanae unnai dhinam paadum
Kanji madippum karai vetti thuniyum
Intha maaman kathaiyai dhinam pesum
Pollachi sandhaiyila kondantha selaiyila
Saayam innum vittu pogala
Bannari koyilukku mundhaanai oarathila
Nernthu mudicha kadan theerala
Maanae maanae unnathaanae
Enni naanum naalum thavichenae
Koondukulla unna vechu koodi ninna oora vittu
Koondukulla vantha indha kola kiliyae
Koondukulla enna vechu koodi ninna oora vittu
Koondukulla ponathenna kola kiliyae
En maamaa maamaa unnathaanae
Enni naanum naalum thavichenae
Adi maanae maanae unnathaanae
Enni naanum naalum thavichenae
Koondukulla enna vechu koodi ninna oora vittu
Koondukulla ponathenna kola kiliyae
Leaving behind the town where we lived together and locking me in a cage,
Why did you go into a cage yourself, my dear parrot?
Oh my deer, it is only you
That I think of and ache for every day.
Leaving behind the town where we lived together and locking me in a cage,
Why did you go into a cage yourself, my dear parrot?
When the right eye twitches on its own,
People say that something bad is bound to happen.
Fearing that honor would be lost and a stain would fall,
In vain, our story came to an end.
In the northeast corner, the gentle chirp of a lizard
Calls out the name of my beloved.
Hoarding an unhealing sorrow that never ends,
The whole town joins together to blame me.
Oh my beloved, it is only you
That I think of and ache for every day.
Leaving behind the town where we lived together and locking me in a cage,
Why did you go into a cage yourself, my dear parrot?
Leaving behind the town where we lived together and locking you in a cage,
This sweet parrot has come inside a cage.
The coconut branches, the gentle breeze, and the cuckoo
Sing of you every single day, my deer.
The crisp starched folds and the bordered dhoti cloth
Speak of this man's story every day.
On the sari bought from the Pollachi market,
The color has not even faded yet.
Bound in the edge of my sari pallu for the Bannari temple,
The vow made in prayer has not yet been fulfilled.
Oh my deer, it is only you
That I think of and ache for every day.
Leaving behind the town where we lived together and locking you in a cage,
This sweet parrot has come inside a cage.
Leaving behind the town where we lived together and locking me in a cage,
Why did you go into a cage yourself, my dear parrot?
Oh my dear beloved, it is only you
That I think of and ache for every day.
Oh my deer, it is only you
That I think of and ache for every day.
Leaving behind the town where we lived together and locking me in a cage,
Why did you go into a cage yourself, my dear parrot?
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Female
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Female
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Female
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Male
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Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

'Koondukulla Enna Vechu' from the 1992 Tamil film Chinna Gounder is a deeply emotional duet expressing separation, societal pressure, and deep romantic longing between the protagonists. Using rural metaphors of a bird trapped in a cage ('Koondukulla... kola kiliyae'), the song conveys how circumstances and village gossip have restricted their freedom and kept them apart.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Uvamaani / Metaphor (உவமை/உருவகம்)

“Koondukulla ponathenna kola kiliyae”

Comparing the lovers' emotional confinement to a parrot locked inside a cage ('Koondukulla ponathenna kola kiliyae').

Edhugai (Ethugai / Second-letter Rhyme)

“Koondukulla enna vechu / Koondukulla ponathenna”

The second consonant 'n' (ன்/ண) matches across consecutive lines, creating a rhythmic cadence.

Personification / Nature Metaphor

“Thennankilaiyum thendral kaathum kuyilum / Adi maanae unnai dhinam paadum”

Attributing human actions to nature, where coconut leaves, breeze, and cuckoos sing about the beloved.

Did you know?

Trivia

Composed by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja with lyrics by director R.V. Udhaya Kumar, this song stands out as one of the quintessential rural melodious duets sung by S.P. Balasubrahmanyam and S. Janaki. The film Chinna Gounder, starring Vijayakanth and Sukanya, was a major blockbuster and set a benchmark for village-centric drama music in 1990s Tamil cinema.

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