- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singer
- P. Susheela
- Music director
- Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan
- Movie name
- Thiruvarul
- Movie release year
- 1975
- Lyrics added on
- 16 Jun 2020
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This devotional song explores the rich polysemic Tamil word 'Maalai', which encapsulates dual meanings: a decorative garland woven with flowers or verses, and the evening twilight. Kannadasan skillfully weaves a progression of earthly, romantic, and spiritual themes using this single motif. The lyrics touch upon wedding garlands blessed by gods, sacred hymns worth gold, prayer rosaries of devotees, romantic evenings uniting lovers, and gifts of wisdom and wealth from Saraswati and Lakshmi. Ultimately, the song culminates in a spiritual crescendo, identifying the supreme 'Maalai' as the sacred knowledge of Om (Pranava) delivered by Lord Murugan, which represents His eternal garland of divine grace (Thiruvarul).
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Sledai (Polysemy / Pun)
“Andha maalai andhi maalai”
The poet employs double meaning for the word 'Maalai', using it simultaneously to mean 'garland' and 'evening/dusk'.
Iyaibu (End Rhyme)
“Kalai magal tharuvadhu kalvi maalai”
Consecutive lines end with matching rhythm and rhyming structure ('kalvi maalai' and 'selva maalai').
Emonai (Initial Rhyme / Alliteration)
“Aayiram pon perum arut paa maalai”
Repetition of initial phonetic sounds across lines ('Aayiram' and 'Aandavan') for melodious rhythmic flow.
Did you know?
Trivia
The song is from the 1975 Tamil devotional film 'Thiruvarul', which features music composed by Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan. Lyricist Kannadasan's clever play on 'Maalai' showcases classical Tamil literary depth within mainstream cinema music.
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