- Lyricist
- Muthulingam
- Singers
- Karunanidhi, Sukumar, Thiruvudiyan
- Music director
- Ilayaraja
- Movie name
- Virumaandi
- Movie release year
- 2004
- Lyrics added on
- 27 Oct 2017
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This song fragment vividly captures the traditional funeral preparation rituals performed for an elder matriarch, Suppaatha ('our grandmother'), in rural Southern Tamil Nadu. The lyrics list step-by-step custom directives—straightening the deceased, applying a bindi and coin to the forehead, tying the body, placing her spectacles, lighting camphor, and decorating a grand funeral bier ('thaeru') with flowers.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Iyaipu (End Rhyme)
“Neththiyila pottu vai / Nera nimithi vai / Kattai irukki vai”
Multiple consecutive lines end with the verbal command 'vai' ('place/keep'), creating a rhythmic chant-like cadence.
Monai (Alliteration / First-Letter Assonance)
“Kattai irukki vai / Kaala pudichu vai / Kaasai azhuthi vai / Kazhuthai thiruppi vai / Kannaadiya maatti vai”
Consecutive ritual instructions begin with the initial consonant sound 'K' (Kattai, Kaala, Kaasai, Kazhuthai, Kannaadiya).
Did you know?
Trivia
The movie *Virumaandi* (2004), written and directed by Kamal Haasan, features music composed by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja. It is renowned for its authentic depiction of rural South Tamil Nadu culture, rituals, and folk music traditions, capturing raw human emotions and rural rites of passage.
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