- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singers
- P. Susheela, T. M. Soundararajan
- Music director
- K. V. Mahadevan
- Movie name
- Iruvar Ullam
- Movie release year
- 1963
- Lyrics added on
- 20 Jun 2018
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This romantic song from the 1963 Tamil film Iruvar Ullam features a charming lyrical dialogue between lovers, written by the legendary poet Kannadasan. Through poetically structured questions and answers, the song draws parallels between natural phenomena—a river flowing to the sea, day yielding to night, the moon seeking the nocturnal bloom—and the inevitable magnetic pull of human love and togetherness. The lyricist highlights themes of singularity amidst multiplicity: although many melodies, clouds, and thoughts exist, the instrument, sky, and heart remain one. The lovers express intimacy, longing, and bashfulness in anticipation of their union, celebrating devotion as a natural law of the universe.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Question and Answer Structure (Call-and-Response)
“Nadhi engae pogiradhu … / Kadalai thedi..”
The lyrics use a antiphonal format where one partner asks about a natural destination and the other answers, metaphorically mapping nature's order onto romantic longing.
Parallelism and Contrast
“Raaganggal nooru varum / Veenai ondru..”
The verse contrasts multiplicity ('hundred ragas', 'countless clouds', 'crores of thoughts') with oneness ('one veena', 'one sky', 'one heart') to emphasize singular love.
Adukkuthodar (Reduplication for Emphasis)
“Yekkam yekkam… / Vetkam vetkam..”
Repetition of words like 'yekkam yekkam' (longing) and 'vetkam vetkam' (shyness) intensifies the portrayal of romantic emotions.
Did you know?
Trivia
Featuring music by K. V. Mahadevan and sung by T. M. Soundararajan and P. Susheela, this iconic song is pictured on Sivaji Ganesan and B. Saroja Devi in the movie Iruvar Ullam (1963).
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