- Lyricist
- Pattukkottai Kalyanasundram
- Singer
- P. Leela
- Music director
- Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy
- Movie name
- Rathinapuri Ilavarasi
- Movie release year
- 1960
- Lyrics added on
- 22 May 2022
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This iconic Tamil song captures a rustic female protagonist expressing her deep affection and longing for her preferred cousin (machaan). She proudly describes her pastoral origins in a mango orchard country where deer roam freely. She recounts how an overbearing maternal cousin fought a tiger and cast eyes upon her, but while he set off on a hunting expedition with his bow, she escaped secretly to find her true love, expressing how her heart pined for him.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Monai (Initial Rhyme / Alliteration)
“Maanthoppu veetukkari / Maanodum naatukkaari”
Matching initial sounds in consecutive lines like 'Maanthoppu' and 'Maanodum' enhances melodic flow.
Edhukai (Second Letter Rhyme)
“Pollaadha aththai mavan / Illaadha aasai kaatti”
Rhyming second letters in 'Pollaadha' and 'Illaadha' gives rhythmic balance to the stanzas.
Imagery
“Maanthoppu veetukkari / Maanodum naatukkaari”
Pastoral imagery depicting deer running through mango orchards creates a vivid rural Tamil landscape.
Did you know?
Trivia
Composed by the legendary Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy duo with lyrics by Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram, this song showcases P. Leela's versatility in rendering playful Tamil folk tunes.
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