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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Odakaran Pattu

From Naanum Indha Ooruthan · 1990

Lyricist
Vaali
Singers
Mano, S. P. Shailaja
Music director
Sankar Ganesh
Details
Naanum Indha Ooruthan1990

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Thanae thandhananaa…(4) haeiThanae thandhananaa… (rhythmic vocal folk refrain)
Male
Oodakkaaran pattu ullatha vattam podumThe boatman's song circles around the heart.
Oda neeraa kaathu orasiyae thaalam podumBrushing against the stream water, the wind beats a rhythm.
Kaathodu kettukko nenjodu pottukkoListen close with your ears, keep it locked in your heart,
Maanae malaithaenaeOh deer-like maiden, sweet as mountain honey!
Male
Oodakkaaran pattu ullatha vattam podumThe boatman's song circles around the heart.
Oda neeraa kaathu orasiyae thaalam podumBrushing against the stream water, the wind beats a rhythm.
Haan kaathodu kettukko nenjodu pottukkoAh, listen close with your ears, keep it locked in your heart,
Maanae malaithaenaeOh deer-like maiden, sweet as mountain honey!
Oodakkaaran pattu ullatha vattam podumThe boatman's song circles around the heart.
Female
Aathangarai oram veeduA house situated right on the riverbank,
Idhu andril paravaigal kooduThis is a nest for inseparable Andril birds.
Poothu kidaikkura pasamThe affection that lies here in full bloom,
Indha boomi muzhuvadhum veesumSpreads its aroma across the entire earth.
Female
Nesam ennum noolaalae serthu vechu poomalaiA floral garland bound together with the thread called love,
Maasam thaedhi ponaalum vaadadhamma mann melaeWill never wither on this earth, no matter how many months and dates pass.
Manasu ellam onnaana kudumbam idhuThis is a family where all minds and hearts are united as one,
Pirivu endrum illaame vizhangum idhuIt shines brightly, forever free from any separation.
Eppodhum ingae thaan sandhosa ragamThe melody of happiness resides right here at all times.
Female
Oodakkaaran pattu ullatha vattam podumThe boatman's song circles around the heart.
Oda neeraa kaathu orasiyae thaalam podumBrushing against the stream water, the wind beats a rhythm.
Kaathodu kettukko nenjodu pottukkoListen close with your ears, keep it locked in your heart,
Maanae malaithaenaeOh deer-like maiden, sweet as mountain honey!
Oodakkaaran pattu ullatha vattam podumThe boatman's song circles around the heart.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This soulful Tamil folk-style song celebrates rural warmth, family togetherness, and the soothing rhythms of nature. Set against the serene backdrop of a riverbank, the boatman's song acts as a metaphor for peace and enduring affection that binds a family together like inseparable 'Andril' birds. The lyrics by Vaali highlight how true love and emotional unity serve as an unfading garland that survives the test of time. Nature—the gentle stream, the rustling wind, and mountain honey—mirrors the joy, harmony, and eternal happiness found within a loving household.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Personification

Oda neeraa kaathu orasiyae thaalam podum

The wind is personified as a musician keeping time/rhythm (thaalam) by gently brushing against the stream water.

Metaphor (Uruvagaim)

Nesam ennum noolaalae serthu vechu poomalai

Love/affection is conceptualized as a physical thread ('nesam ennum nool') weaving a garland of memories and relationship.

Cultural Allusion

Idhu andril paravaigal koodu

Refers to the mythical 'Andril' birds in classical Tamil literature, which are famous for their absolute devotion and inability to survive without each other.

Monai (Initial Rhyme / Alliteration)

Nesam ennum noolaalae serthu vechu poomalai

Repetition of the 'N' consonant sound ('Nesam' and 'noolaalae') creating rhythmic harmony.

Did you know?

Trivia

Written by the legendary lyricist Vaali for the 1990 Tamil movie 'Naanum Indha Ooruthan', the song incorporates authentic folk refrains ('Thanae thandhananaa') typical of rural boatman ballads (Oda Pattu) from Tamil Nadu.

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