- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singer
- L. R. Eswari
- Music director
- Shankar Ganesh
- Movie name
- Akka Thangai
- Movie release year
- 1969
- Lyrics added on
- 15 May 2022
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This energetic club song from the 1969 film Akka Thangai captures the modernizing trends and changing social values of late 1960s urban Tamil society. Sung brilliantly by L. R. Eswari, the track encourages letting go of worries and embracing romance, beauty, and sensory pleasures. Kannadasan deftly mixes English loanwords with vivid Tamil imagery to reflect a stylish, upbeat lifestyle where searching for happiness is seen as a person's ultimate duty.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Iyaibu (End Rhyme)
“Maarivarum society / Vaazhkai pala variety / Theduvathu duty seruvadhu beauty”
Use of English rhyming end words like society, variety, duty, and beauty to establish a modern tempo.
Metaphor (Uruvagam)
“Pennalla pennalla palingu ... Sugam surangam”
Comparing pleasure to a mine or treasure trove (surangam), and a woman's purity/beauty to crystal (palingu).
Monai (Initial Rhyme / Alliteration)
“Mani mutham kili vannam vazhangum / Pani sottum iravukkul mayakkam”
Matching initial consonant/vowel sounds in words like Mani/Mutham and Pani/Mayakkam.
Did you know?
Trivia
L. R. Eswari was the undisputed queen of Western-influenced cabaret and club songs in South Indian cinema during the 1960s and 70s. Lyricist Kannadasan was known for seamlessly weaving contemporary English terms into traditional Tamil poetic structures to appeal to the modern youth of that era.
Keep listening
Songs with a similar feeling
From the same album
More songs from Akka Thangai
View albumSpot an issue?
Help us improve the lyrics or English translation.