- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singer
- S. C. Krishnan
- Music director
- Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy
- Movie name
- Tenali Raman
- Movie release year
- 1956
- Lyrics added on
- 15 May 2025
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This song is a powerful social commentary on the tragic irony faced by the working class. Lyricist Kannadasan uses simple yet impactful metaphors of a washerman, a forest-clearing pioneer, a mason, and a gardener to demonstrate how workers dedicate their lives to creating luxury and necessity for others while being deprived of those very privileges themselves.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Irony / Muran (Situational Paradox)
“Aana udutha mudiyala eduthu udutha mudiyala”
Highlights the irony where the laborer produces or maintains something for society but is deprived of enjoying its benefits.
Analogy / Upameyam
“Maaligaiyai kattu mudikka... Nozhaiya mudiyala”
Draws parallel analogies between washermen, builders, and gardeners to illustrate the universal plight of the labor class.
Anaphora / Repetition (Eduborutchel)
“Nattu jananga aadaiyellam”
The refrain repeating the washerman's burden serves to anchor the song's political theme throughout.
Did you know?
Trivia
Featured in the 1956 historical comedy film 'Tenali Raman', this song highlights socialist themes that were prominent in Tamil cinema during the 1950s. Lyricist Kannadasan used the perspective of a washerman (vannan) to deliver a sharp critique on economic inequality, brilliantly rendered by singer S. C. Krishnan with rustic authenticity.
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