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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Ondru Sernthu Selluvom

From Jadhikkoru Needhi · 1981

Lyricist
Pulamaipithan
Singer
D. Srinivas
Music director
Shankar Ganesh
Details
Jadhikkoru Needhi1981

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Ondru saernthu selluvomWe shall go forward together
Uruthiyaaga velluvomWe shall surely emerge victorious
Thozhanukku thol koduththumBy supporting a comrade shoulder to shoulder
Inbam kaanuvom….We shall experience true joy...
Male
Ondru saernthu selluvomWe shall go forward together
Uruthiyaaga velluvomWe shall surely emerge victorious
Thozhanukku thol koduththumBy supporting a comrade shoulder to shoulder
Inbam kaanuvom…..We shall experience true joy...
Male
Paadupatta annai bhoomiLet us see to whom Mother Earth,
Yaarukendru paarkkalaamWhich was tirelessly labored upon, belongs
Chorus :Paarkkalaam paarkkalaam paarkkalaamChorus: Let us see, let us see, let us see
Male :Panbu ketta manitharukkuMale: To the men who have lost their virtues,
Paadamum pugattalaamLet us teach a proper lesson
Male
Ondru saernthu selluvomWe shall go forward together
Uruthiyaaga velluvomWe shall surely emerge victorious
Thozhanukku thol koduththumBy supporting a comrade shoulder to shoulder
Inbam kaanuvom…..We shall experience true joy...
Chorus
……………….
Male
Neer pidiththa vayalilae yaer pidiththa thozhanaeO comrade holding the plow in the waterlogged field,
Nelmanikku sonthakkaaran yaaradaaWho is the rightful owner of the harvest grain?
Neer pidiththa vayalilae yaer pidiththa thozhanaeO comrade holding the plow in the waterlogged field,
Nelmanikku sonthakkaaran yaaradaaWho is the rightful owner of the harvest grain?
Male
Un nermaiyaana nenjai thottu kooradaaTouch your honest heart and tell me,
Neeyadaa…..neeyadaa……neeyadaa….It is you... it is you... it is you...
Chorus :Neeyadaa…..neeyadaa……neeyadaa….Chorus: It is you... it is you... it is you...
Male
Ondru saernthu selluvomWe shall go forward together
Uruthiyaaga velluvomWe shall surely emerge victorious
Thozhanukku thol koduththumBy supporting a comrade shoulder to shoulder
Inbam kaanuvom…..We shall experience true joy...
Male
Intha bhoomi thanthathu un uzhaippil vanthathuWhat this earth yielded came from your sweat and toil,
Varumai ellai kanduvitta uzhavanaeO farmer who has seen the extreme boundaries of poverty!
Intha bhoomi thanthathu un uzhaippil vanthathuWhat this earth yielded came from your sweat and toil,
Varumai ellai kanduvitta uzhavanaeO farmer who has seen the extreme boundaries of poverty!
Male
Nee vaazhapogum neram eppo solladaaTell me, when is the time you will truly live well?
Solladaa….solladaa…..solladaa….Tell me... tell me... tell me...
Chorus :Solladaa….solladaa…..solladaa….Chorus: Tell me... tell me... tell me...
Male
Ondru saernthu selluvomWe shall go forward together
Uruthiyaaga velluvomWe shall surely emerge victorious
Thozhanukku thol koduththumBy supporting a comrade shoulder to shoulder
Inbam kaanuvom…..We shall experience true joy...
Chorus
……………..
Female
Kalaiyedukkum kaigalae kaanum vettri unmaiyaeO hands that weed out unwanted plants, victory is truly yours,
Porumaiyilae namakku inai bhoomiyilIn patience, who on earth can match us?
Kalaiyedukkum kaigalae kaanum vettri unmaiyaeO hands that weed out unwanted plants, victory is truly yours,
Porumaiyilae namakku inai bhoomiyilIn patience, who on earth can match us?
Male
Varkka puratchi ondruthaan namakku needhiyaeClass struggle alone is our true justice!
Varkka puratchi ondruthaan namakku needhiyaeClass struggle alone is our true justice!
Needhiyae…..needhiyae…..needhiyae…..Justice... justice... justice...
Chorus :Needhiyae…..needhiyae…..needhiyae…..Chorus: Justice... justice... justice...
Chorus
Ondru saernthu selluvomWe shall go forward together
Uruthiyaaga velluvomWe shall surely emerge victorious
Thozhanukku thol koduththumBy supporting a comrade shoulder to shoulder
Inbam kaanuvom…..We shall experience true joy...
Male
Paadupatta annai bhoomiLet us see to whom Mother Earth,
Yaarukendru paarkkalaamWhich was tirelessly labored upon, belongs
Panbu ketta manitharukkuTo the men who have lost their virtues,
Paadamum pugattalaamLet us teach a proper lesson
Chorus
Panbu ketta manitharukkuTo the men who have lost their virtues,
Paadamum pugattalaamLet us teach a proper lesson
Panbu ketta manitharukkuTo the men who have lost their virtues,
Paadamum pugattalaamLet us teach a proper lesson
Panbu ketta manitharukkuTo the men who have lost their virtues,
Paadamum pugattalaamLet us teach a proper lesson

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

Ondru Saernthu Selluvom is a rousing revolutionary anthem from the 1981 film Jadhikkoru Needhi, penned by the noted lyricist Pulamaipithan. The song serves as an empowering rallying cry for farmers, agricultural laborers, and the oppressed working class to unite and stand shoulder-to-shoulder against feudal oppression and socio-economic injustice. It questions the unfair system where hardworking tillers of the soil live in extreme poverty while dishonest landowners claim the fruits of their labor. Through bold rhetoric, the song explicitly champions class struggle (Varkka puratchi) as the necessary path to achieve equal rights, reclaim dignity, and teach a lesson to corrupt exploiters.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Monai (First Letter Alliteration)

Thozhanukku thol koduththum

Repetition of the initial 'th' sound across words creates a rhythmic and memorable rallying beat.

Ethugai (Second Letter Rhyming)

Paadupatta annai bhoomi / Paadamum pugattalaam

Matching of the second consonant sound 'd' across consecutive poetic lines.

Rhetorical Question

Nelmanikku sonthakkaaran yaaradaa

Asking 'Who is the rightful owner of the harvest grain?' to provoke critical self-awareness and class consciousness among workers.

Personification / Metaphor

Paadupatta annai bhoomi

Refers to the earth as a mother who has labored alongside the hardworking farmers.

Did you know?

Trivia

Written by Pulamaipithan, a renowned poet-lyricist celebrated for his ideological and reformist Tamil lyrics, this song emphasizes Marxist class consciousness ('Varkka puratchi'). The film Jadhikkoru Needhi (1981) dealt heavily with social justice, anti-caste themes, and the empowerment of marginalized communities.

Keep listening

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