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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Madham Mummari

From Sigappu Thali · 1988

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singer
Malaysia Vasudevan
Music director
Shankar Ganesh
Details
Sigappu Thali1988

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Thannaanae thananaanae thananaanae thannaanae(Folk rhythm refrain) Thannaanae thananaanae thananaanae thannaanae
Thannaanae thananaanae thananaanae thannaanae(Folk rhythm refrain) Thannaanae thananaanae thananaanae thannaanae
Thaanaani thaanaaninaenaanaa(Folk rhythm refrain) Thaanaani thaanaaninaenaanaa
Male
Maadham mummaari mazhai peiyyum ooruA village where rain falls thrice a month
Azhagaana engooruMy beautiful village
Ingu aniyaayam kidaiyaathuInjustice does not exist here
Maadham mummaari mazhai peiyyum ooruA village where rain falls thrice a month
Azhagaana engooruMy beautiful village
Ingu aniyaayam kidaiyaathuInjustice does not exist here
Male
nallavana vaazha vaikkum…mmm….It makes good people flourish... mmm...
Kettavan seerthiruththum….mmmm…It reforms bad people... mmmm...
Nallavana vaazha vaikkum kettavana seerththiruththumIt enables good people to live well and reforms the wicked
Mannukku sakthi undu ingae maattukkum puththiyunduThe soil here possesses divine power, and even the cattle here possess intelligence
Male
Maadham mummaari mazhai peiyyum ooruA village where rain falls thrice a month
Azhagaana engooruMy beautiful village
Ingu aniyaayam kidaiyaathuInjustice does not exist here
Male
Oororam paalaaru oorukkkul thenaaruA river of milk flows at the boundary, a river of honey inside the village
Oororam paalaaru oorukkkul thenaaruA river of milk flows at the boundary, a river of honey inside the village
Moththathil panjam illaiOn the whole, there is no scarcity here
Hae nenjukkul yaarukkum vanjamillaHey, no one harbors malice or deceit in their heart
Male
Maadham mummaari mazhai peiyyum ooruA village where rain falls thrice a month
Azhagaana engooruMy beautiful village
Ingu aniyaayam kidaiyaathuInjustice does not exist here

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This song is a vibrant Tamil folk composition that celebrates the righteousness, rich natural bounty, and moral purity of a traditional village. The narrator describes a idyllic land blessed with regular rainfall, bountiful resources described metaphorically as rivers of milk and honey, and an absence of poverty or injustice. Beyond physical prosperity, the village is depicted as a morally uplifting environment where good human virtues are sustained, wrongdoers are reformed, and even animals share wisdom and harmony with nature.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Monai (Initial Alliteration)

Maadham mummaari mazhai peiyyum ooru

Repetition of the 'm' consonant sound at the start of adjacent words ('Maadham', 'mummaari', 'mazhai') creates a melodic rhythmic flow.

Hyperbole (Uyarvu Navortchi)

Oororam paalaaru oorukkkul thenaaru

Metaphorical exaggeration describing rivers of milk and honey flowing in the village to emphasize extreme agricultural wealth and prosperity.

Iyaibu (End Rhyme)

Mannukku sakthi undu ingae maattukkum puththiyundu

Matching tail end word endings ('undu') creating harmonious musicality across both halves of the line.

Did you know?

Trivia

The concept of 'Maadham Mummaari' (three rains a month) is rooted in classic Tamil literary tradition, including works like Tiruppavai and Silappatikaram. According to Tamil mythology and ethics, a land governed by righteousness and virtue naturally receives rain three times a month to sustain agricultural life.

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