- Lyricist
- Mahakavi Subramanya Bharathiyaar
- Singer
- Rajkumar Bharathi
- Music director
- L. Vaidyanathan
- Movie name
- Ezhavathu Manithan
- Movie release year
- 1982
- Lyrics added on
- 30 Dec 2021
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This immortal poem by Mahakavi Subramanya Bharathiyar is an impassioned plea to the Divine Mother, Sivasakthi. The poet argues that just as a master craftsman would never make a beautiful musical instrument like the veena only to discard it in dirt, God would not bestow human beings with high intellect and potential only to let them wither away uselessly. He demands the mental and physical vigor required to serve humanity and lead a purposeful life. Bharathiyar asks for a body as dynamic and responsive as a bouncing ball, a pure heart untainted by malice, and a spirit that renews itself with vibrant energy every single day. The poem reflects a powerful philosophy of action, vitality, and meaningful existence, rejecting passive survival and demanding divine empowerment to uplift the world.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Metaphor (Uruvagam)
“Nallathor veenai seithae”
Comparing human life and intellect to a finely crafted veena ('Nallathor veenai').
Simile (Uvamai)
“Visaiyuru panthinaipol”
Comparing the desired speed and agility of the physical body to a ball thrown with force ('Visaiyuru panthinaipol').
Monai (Initial Assonance/Alliteration)
“Nallathor veenai seithae / Adhai nalangeda puzhuthiyil erivathundo”
Repetition of initial consonant sounds across adjacent words, such as 'Nallathor' and 'Nalangeda'.
Rhetorical Question
“Adhai nalangeda puzhuthiyil erivathundo”
Asking 'Erivathundo' (Would anyone throw it away?) and 'Puriguvaiyo' to challenge fate and demand purpose from the Divine.
Did you know?
Trivia
This poem is one of Subramanya Bharathiyar's most famous devotional and philosophical works. In the 1982 Tamil film 'Ezhavathu Manithan', directed by K. Hariharan, the music was composed by L. Vaidyanathan, and the songs were rendered by classical singer Rajkumar Bharathi (a direct great-grandson of Mahakavi Bharathiyar). The movie won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil.
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