- Lyricist
- Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass
- Singer
- K. Rani
- Music director
- G. Aswathama
- Movie name
- Deiva Balam
- Movie release year
- 1959
- Lyrics added on
- 24 May 2025
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This playful and upbeat folk song features rhythmic sound syllables and humorous banter mocking someone's antics. The speaker lightheartedly ridicules a person who is posturing, grinning slyly like a jackal, and trying to pull off impossible feats like twisting sand into rope. The song warns the target that empty flattery, showy grandeur, and staring will yield nothing.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Simile (Upamai)
“Kullanari pola kunthikittu neenga”
Compares the person crouching slyly to a jackal ('Kullanari pola kunthikittu').
Metaphor / Idiom
“Manalaiyum kayiraa thirikkaathae”
Uses the ancient idiom 'Manalaiyum kayiraa thirikkaathae' (spinning sand into rope) to represent attempting the impossible.
Onomatopoeia (Edaichol / Sandhi Rhythms)
“Kumkum kummaa dumdum dummaa”
Uses rhythmic nonsense vocalizations like 'Kumkum kummaa dumdum dummaa' to create folk musicality.
Rhyme (Edhugai / Monnai)
“Ivan sogusaiyum paaththaa puriyaathaa”
End rhymes and internal rhymes across lines such as 'palikkaathaa', 'theriyaathaa', and 'puriyaathaa'.
Did you know?
Trivia
'Deiva Balam' (1959) is a classic Tamil fantasy-adventure film with music composed by G. Aswathama. Lyricist Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass was known for incorporating earthy Tamil folk idioms, rhythmic gibberish, and humorous proverbs seamlessly into cinema songs.
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