- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singer
- T. M. Soundararajan
- Music director
- G. K. Venkatesh
- Movie name
- Naanum Manithan Thaan
- Movie release year
- 1964
- Lyrics added on
- 11 Jan 2024
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
The song 'Naanum Manithan Thaan' is a powerful philosophical composition that champions human dignity, equality, and anti-casteism. Through poignant analogies drawn from nature, Kannadasan highlights that noble things often originate from humble or unlikely sources—civets from cats, lotuses from mud, conches from roaring seas, and pearls from oysters. Therefore, a person's birth or background does not define their true value. The lyricist further illustrates equality by comparing a doorstep stone to a sacred temple idol, emphasizing that both are made of the exact same substance and the distinction lies entirely in human perception. Ultimately, the song redefines high and low birth based purely on character: anyone with compassion is truly of high lineage, whereas anyone lacking empathy is of low lineage.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Analogy / Metaphor (உவமை)
“Nalla poovum saetrinil poothu varum”
Uses nature examples (mud/flower, oyster/pearl, cat/civet) to argue that greatness can arise from humble origins regardless of lineage.
Contrast / Anthesis (முரண்)
“Irakkam migunthavan mel piravi / Adhu illathozhindhavan keel piravi”
Contrasts the doorstep stone ('vasar padi') with the worshiped idol ('vanangum silai'), and high birth ('mel piravi') with low birth ('keel piravi') to challenge societal prejudices.
Monai / Initial Alliteration (மோனை)
“Kallinil baedham illaiyada / Adhu kangalil maarum kaatchiyada”
Repetition of initial consonants or vowels across words, such as 'Kallinil' and 'Kangalil' or 'Naanum' and 'Naadi'.
Did you know?
Trivia
The song is from the 1964 movie 'Naanum Manithan Thaan' starring S. S. Rajendran. The music was composed by G. K. Venkatesh, under whom the legendary composer Ilaiyaraaja worked as an assistant during his early career. Lyricist Kannadasan used this song to convey strong egalitarian and rationalist ideals that resonated with contemporary social reform movements in Tamil Nadu.
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