- Lyricist
- Mahakavi Subramanya Bharathiyaar
- Singer
- T. M. Soundararajan
- Music director
- G. Govindarajulu Naidu
- Movie name
- Kalvanin Kadhali -(1955)
- Movie release year
- 1955
- Lyrics added on
- 25 Sept 2025
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This classic poem by Mahakavi Subramanya Bharathiyar, featured in the 1955 film Kalvanin Kadhali, serves as an inspiring anthem for willpower, character, and self-improvement. It lays down a simple yet powerful blueprint for ideal living: cultivating mental resolve, speaking with gentleness, harboring virtuous thoughts, and working focusedly toward realizing one's dreams without delay.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Epiphora (Anaphora at line endings)
“Manathil uruthi vendum / Vaakkinilae inimai vendum”
The word 'vendum' (meaning 'is required' or 'must be') is repeated at the end of consecutive lines, creating a rhythmic imperative cadence.
Monai (Initial Rhyme / Alliteration)
“Kanavu meippada vendum / Kaivasamaavathu viraivil vendum”
Matching initial consonant sounds in Tamil poetry, seen in 'Kanavu' and 'Kaivasamaavathu'.
Parallelism
“Ninaivu nallathu vendum / Nerungina porul kaippada vendum”
Repeated grammatical structure expressing a sequence of noble desires and ideals.
Did you know?
Trivia
Written by Mahakavi Subramanya Bharathiyar in the early 20th century as a motivational verse for self-discipline and nation-building, this poem was adapted for the screen in 'Kalvanin Kadhali' (1955) starring Sivaji Ganesan. Music director G. Govindarajulu Naidu tuned it, and T.M. Soundararajan rendered it powerfully, cementing it as an eternal inspirational song in Tamil cinema.
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