- Lyricist
- Panchu Arunachalam
- Singer
- T. M. Soundararajan
- Music director
- K. V. Mahadevan
- Movie name
- Aasai Alaigal
- Movie release year
- 1963
- Lyrics added on
- 30 Sept 2021
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
Nadanthu Vantha Paadhaiyilae from the film Aasai Alaigal (1963) is a deeply reflective Tamil philosophical song that meditates on life's journey, morality, and human relationships. The protagonist reflects upon the path traversed so far, realizing the difficulty in discerning good from bad, and lamenting the tragedy that righteous people do not always thrive in this world. The song contrasts those who live carelessly with a fatalistic attitude against those who blindly follow bad counsel and lose their way midway. Furthermore, the lyrics question the durability of temporary companionship, asking whether fair-weather companions can ever become true life partners. It concludes with a moral realization: those who sacrifice self-indulgence for duty ultimately walk the path of love, while those led astray by ignorance and foolishness suffer on the path of sorrow.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Metaphor
“Nadanthu vantha paadhaiyilae…ae…ae..”
Life is metaphorically represented as a physical walking path ('paadhai'), where life choices are directions ('vazhi').
Monai (Initial Alliteration)
“Naalu vazhiyum paarththu vanthaen”
Repetition of the initial 'Na' / 'Naa' consonants across consecutive lines (Nadanthu, Naalu, Nallathu, Nallavarellaam).
Edugai (Second-letter Rhyme)
“Kadamaiyinaalae sugaththai maranthavar”
The second consonant 'da' rhymes between 'Kadamaiyinaalae' (duty) and 'Madamaiyinaalae' (ignorance), contrasting two opposing traits.
Iyaibu (End Rhyme)
“Vaazhvil kaanbathu anbu vazhi”
Rhyming endings using 'vazhi' in consecutive lines ('anbu vazhi' and 'thunba vazhi').
Did you know?
Trivia
Aasai Alaigal (1963) features lyrics by Panchu Arunachalam early in his career, before he gained iconic status in Tamil cinema as a writer, producer, and lyricist credited with reinventing mass cinema with Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan in the late 1970s.
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