- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singer
- P. Susheela
- Music director
- K. V. Mahadevan
- Movie name
- Thiruvilaiyadal
- Movie release year
- 1965
- Lyrics added on
- 22 Oct 2017
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
In this classic song from Thiruvilaiyadal (1965), a young fisherwoman addresses the sea as a fellow maiden wearing a blue saree. Through poetical personification, she observes the waves rolling back and forth on the shore as if the ocean is eagerly searching for her lover. She draws a poetic parallel between the joining of rivers into the sea and the sweet intimacy of marriage. The protagonist expresses her own deep yearning to get married and experience love, asking the ocean maiden to softly share her secrets of union so she can apply them when her own partner arrives.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Personification (Uruvagandhal)
“Neela chelai kattikonda Samudhira ponnu”
The ocean is personified as a young girl wearing a blue saree ('Samudhira ponnu') whose waves reaching the shore are imagined as her searching for a lover.
Metaphor (Uruvagam)
“Neela chelai kattikonda”
The blue sea waters are metaphorically described as a blue saree ('Neela chelai') wrapped around the ocean maiden.
Repetition / Reiterative Phrase (Adukkuthodar)
“Nelinju nelinju paarpadhenna”
Words like 'nelinju nelinju' (twisting/curving) and 'yengi yengi' (yearning) are repeated sequentially to emphasize physical movement and emotional intensity.
Did you know?
Trivia
The music for Thiruvilaiyadal was composed by K. V. Mahadevan, with lyrics by Kannadasan and vocals by S. Janaki. The song features actress L. Vijayalakshmi dancing on the seashore as Goddess Parvathi born in a fisherfolk community, waiting for Lord Shiva in the divine play (Thiruvilaiyadal).
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