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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Ooroda Vazhonum

From Bhaktha Sabari · 1960

Lyricist
Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass
Singer
P. Susheela
Music director
Pendyala Nageswara Rao
Details
Bhaktha Sabari1960

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Ooroda vaazhonum namma jaathiOur kind is one that lives in harmony with the village.
Ozhaippaalae pozhaikkonum nalla jaathiA noble kind is one that earns its living through hard work.
Both :Ooroda vaazhonum namma jaathiBoth: Our kind is one that lives in harmony with the village.
Ozhaippaalae pozhaikkonum nalla jaathiA noble kind is one that earns its living through hard work.
Female
Kadavul kuduththa kai kaal irukkaWhen we have the hands and feet blessed by God,
Male :Kaadu kazhani kaaththu kedakkaMale: While the fields and farm lands lie waiting for us,
Female :Kulla nari koottam polFemale: Like a pack of sly jackals,
KollaiyadiththaeBy robbing and looting,
Male :Vaari vaari thinnaalumMale: Even if you gorge endlessly,
Vaayum vayirum kasakkaathoWon't your mouth and stomach turn bitter?
Female
Paathai oraththilae kaattum veeraththilaeRather than showing bravery on the roadside,
Paathai kaattunga yaerottum vegaththilaeShow us the way through the speed of driving the plow!
Paathai oraththilae kaattum veeraththilaeRather than showing bravery on the roadside,
Paathi kaattunga yaerottum vegaththilaeShow us the way through the speed of driving the plow!
Male
Kuththi vathaichcha veerarellaamAll those brave ones who stabbed and tormented,
Muththu vedhaikka vaangaCome forward to sow pearls of grain!
Koththi parichch kaiyaalaeWith hands that once plucked and stole,
Koduththu anaikka vaangaCome forward to embrace and give charitably!
Female
Nettri vervaiyaalWith the sweat of our brows,
Mannil sakthi paaichchuvomWe shall pour life energy into the earth!
Nellaa valaththu ponnaa eduththuRaising it as paddy and harvesting it like gold,
Vaari vazhanguvomWe shall distribute it abundantly to all!
Male
Maadu kannu makkalodu manasaara uravaadiBonding wholeheartedly with cattle, calves, and people,
Both :Maadu kannu makkalodu manasaara uravaadiBoth: Bonding wholeheartedly with cattle, calves, and people,
Mangalamaai pongalittuAuspiciously cooking the festive Pongal,
Malaiyena valar kulam aavomWe shall become a community that towers like a mountain!

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This uplifting agrarian song highlights the dignity of labor, moral living, and community solidarity. It urges former wrongdoers and idle bandits to abandon violence and theft, likening dishonest gains to bitterness, and invites them to channel their strength into farming. By transforming their hands from tools of harm to instruments of cultivation, they can help nurture the earth, harvest golden grain, and share prosperity with everyone.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Ethukai (Second-letter rhyme)

Kuththi vathaichcha veerarellaam / Koththi parichch kaiyaalae

Rhyming of the second consonant in consecutive lines or words, such as 'Kuththi' and 'Koththi' or 'Muththu' and 'Nettri'.

Uvamai (Simile)

Kulla nari koottam pol

Comparing plunderers to a pack of jackals ('Kulla nari koottam pol') and crop growth to the height of a mountain ('Malaiyena valar kulam').

Metaphor

Muththu vedhaikka vaanga

Comparing seeds to pearls ('Muththu vedhaikka') and harvested paddy to gold ('ponnaa eduththu').

Did you know?

Trivia

Written by the famed lyricist Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass for the film Bhaktha Sabari (1960), this track reflects mid-20th-century Tamil cinema's common reformative theme of encouraging social reform, agriculture, and hard work over lawlessness.

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