- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singers
- T. M. Soundararajan, L. R. Eswari
- Music director
- T. K. Ramamoorthy
- Movie name
- Neelagiri Express
- Movie release year
- 1968
- Lyrics added on
- 13 Jan 2024
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
Naan Kalaignan Alla is a celebrated romantic track from the 1968 Tamil mystery film Neelagiri Express. Sung masterfully by T. M. Soundarajan alongside vocal improvisations by L. R. Eswari, the song features lyricist Kannadasan's sublime romantic verse. The protagonist expresses his overwhelming admiration for a woman's beauty, humbly acknowledging that he lacks the extraordinary gifts of a sculptor, a master Tamil poet, or a wealthy king. Being just an ordinary human, he can only be completely spellbound by her presence. In the stanzaic verses, Kannadasan weaves vivid imagery: God creates this woman by taking the full moon of the spring month Chithirai, steeping it in honey, and polishing it with pure gold. The narrator poetically muses that God fashioned such irresistible beauty as a subtle vengeance upon mankind, leaving men captivated and surrendered to her grace.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Anaphora / Repetition
“Naan kalaignan alla unnai silaiyakka / Naan kalaignan alla unnai thamilakka”
The deliberate repetition of 'Naan kalaignan alla' ('I am not an artist') across initial lines establishes rhythm and highlights the singer's humility.
Hyperbole & Imagery (Uvamaani)
“Sithiarai nilavai therndheduthu / Thaenaatril adhai oora vaithu / Patharai maatrinaal merugumittu”
Visual and tactile imagery describing the creation of the heroine by soaking the Chithirai moon in honey and polishing it with fine gold standard (patharai).
Edhukai (Tamil Second-Letter Rhyme)
“Mannan alla mani mudi sootta / Verum manidhan aanadhal mayangugiren”
Standard Tamil prosodic technique where the second consonant matches in consecutive lines ('nn' in Mannan, 'ni' in Manidhan).
Personification / Divine Allegory
“Aadvar ulagai pazhi theerkka / Azhagae unnai avan thoodhu vittaan”
Portraying Beauty as a divine ambassador dispatched by God to disarm and conquer the world of men.
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Trivia
Neelagiri Express (1968) was a hit detective thriller starring Jaishankar and Cho Ramaswamy. The soundtrack was composed by T. K. Ramamoorthy independently following his separation from the iconic Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy duo. This song remains one of Ramamoorthy's finest solo compositions, celebrated for TMS's soulful rendition and Kannadasan's immortal lyrics.
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