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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Nalla Vellikizhamaiyile

From Sakkarai Devan · 1993

Lyricist
Vaali
Singer
Ilayaraja
Music director
Ilayaraja
Movie name
Sakkarai Devan
Movie release year
1993
Lyrics added on
7 Apr 2022

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Nalla velli kizhamaiyilae
Amma un vaasalilae
Paatteduththaen unthan perumai solla
Vanna poo thoduththaen nee soodi kolla
Nalla velli kizhamaiyilae
Amma un vaasalilae
Paatteduththaen unthan perumai solla
Vanna poo thoduththaen nee soodi kolla
Vaadiyamma vaazhththidaththaanae
Kaanthaariyammaa un magan naanae
Nalla velli kizhamaiyilae
Amma un vaasalilae
Paatteduththaen unthan perumai solla
Vanna poo thoduththaen nee soodi kolla
Aalai karumpaalai naam podalaam
Aaththaa arul thaanae saaraakkuthu
Saarai paagaaga naam kaaichalaam
Ammaa arulthaanae inipaakkuthu
Sei thozhil nerththiyudan
Seithida vendum endru
Akkarai kaattugindra sakkarai devan ingu
Oor madhikka per vilanga
Vaazhvathellaam un arulalthaanae
Velli kizhamaiyilae
Amma un vaasalilae
Paatteduththaen unthan perumai solla
Vanna poo thoduththaen nee soodi kolla
Ingae naam konda kai raasiyae
Amma aval thantha arulaasiyae
Endrum enai kaakkum magaraasiyae
Vaazhven naan unthan pugazh pesiyae
Pillaigal menmaikkellaam
Pettraval yaeniyadaa
Akkarai servatharkku annaithaan thoniyadaa
Kaalam ellaam kaavalukku
Thaai irukka kavalaigal yaedhu
Velli kizhamaiyilae
Amma un vaasalilae
Paatteduththaen unthan perumai solla
Vanna poo thoduththaen nee soodi kolla
Vaadiyamma vaazhththidaththaanae
Kaanthaariyammaa un magan naanae
Nalla velli kizhamaiyilae
Amma un vaasalilae
Paatteduththaen unthan perumai solla
Vanna poo thoduththaen nee soodi kolla
On this auspicious Friday,
Mother, at your doorstep,
I have sung a song to praise your greatness,
and strung colorful flowers for you to wear.
On this auspicious Friday,
Mother, at your doorstep,
I have sung a song to praise your greatness,
and strung colorful flowers for you to wear.
Come, dear Mother, to bless me,
Mother Gandhari, for I am your son!
On this auspicious Friday,
Mother, at your doorstep,
I have sung a song to praise your greatness,
and strung colorful flowers for you to wear.
We can set up a sugarcane press,
but it is Mother's grace that turns cane to sweet juice!
We can boil the juice into rich syrup,
but it is Mother's grace that fills it with sweetness!
To carry out his trade with true dedication
and do every task with perfection,
Sakkarai Devan cares with all his heart;
respected by the town with a cherished name,
living this good life only by your grace...
On this Friday,
Mother, at your doorstep,
I have sung a song to praise your greatness,
and strung colorful flowers for you to wear.
The golden, lucky touch in our hands
is the divine blessing Mother gave us!
O blessed Mother who protects me forever,
I will live my life singing your praise!
For the rise and success of her children,
the mother who bore them is the ladder!
To reach the safety of the distant shore, Mother is the boat!
When a mother is here to guard us for all time,
what worries could we ever have?
On this Friday,
Mother, at your doorstep,
I have sung a song to praise your greatness,
and strung colorful flowers for you to wear.
Come, dear Mother, to bless me,
Mother Gandhari, for I am your son!
On this auspicious Friday,
Mother, at your doorstep,
I have sung a song to praise your greatness,
and strung colorful flowers for you to wear.
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Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

Nalla Velli Kizhamaiyilae is a deeply soulful folk-devotional track from the 1993 film Sakkarai Devan, composed and rendered by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja with lyrics by Vaali. The song serves as a reverence both to the village deity Goddess Kaanthaari and to maternal love in general. The protagonist attributes all his agricultural success, good fortune, and social standing in the village entirely to the divine blessings of his mother.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvagamm)

“Pettraval yaeniyadaa / Akkarai servatharkku annaithaan thoniyadaa”

Compares the mother to a ladder ('yaeni') that helps children reach height and a boat ('thoni') that safely transports them across life's shore.

Alliteration (Monai)

“Pillaigal menmaikkellaam / Pettraval yaeniyadaa”

Repetition of the initial 'P' sound ('Pillaigal' / 'Pettraval') creating a rhythmic flow.

Rhyme (Edhukai / Iyaibu)

“Ingae naam konda kai raasiyae / Amma aval thantha arulaasiyae”

End rhymes such as 'kai raasiyae', 'arulaasiyae', 'magaraasiyae', and 'pesiyae' create a pleasing melodic structure.

Did you know?

Trivia

This track showcases Ilaiyaraaja singing his own composition in his signature rustic, emotive tone. Lyricist Vaali cleverly incorporated the protagonist's name 'Sakkarai Devan' and sugarcane processing imagery directly into the narrative of the song.

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