- Lyricist
- Vaali
- Singer
- Mano
- Music director
- Ilayaraja
- Movie name
- Manikuyil
- Movie release year
- 1993
- Lyrics added on
- 19 Mar 2020
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This song from Manikuyil is a vibrant, reflective folk composition that celebrates the soothing, unifying power of music. The breeze is metaphorically portrayed as a wandering singer that spreads joy across the village like honey and comforts the heart with the warmth of a mother's lullaby. The protagonist asserts that true music carries the authentic aroma of the soil and the rich heritage of Tamil culture, possessing enough creative vigor to make dried trees blossom and rocks yield water. Beyond praising music's magical nature, the song presents a deep philosophy regarding the role of art in society. It highlights that while songs exist for every occasion—festivals, weddings, and celebrations—art is rendered meaningless if it fails to touch the lives of ordinary people. The lyricist emphasizes that genuine song comes from the soul and must serve the common good rather than superficial display.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Personification
“Oru naadodi poongaathu sindhu padikkum”
The gentle breeze ('poongaathu') is personified as a nomadic singer ('naadodi') who travels around singing folk tunes ('sindhu').
Simile (Upamai)
“Nee kaelu thaai pola nenjai idhu thaalaattum”
The comforting effect of the music/breeze on the human heart is explicitly compared to a mother ('thaai pola') lulling her child.
Hyperbole (Uyarvu Navortchi Ani)
“Paatteduthaa patta maram poo poothidum / Malai paaraigalum vaai vedichu neer vaarthidum”
The lyrics exaggerate the miraculous power of song, claiming that singing can make a withered tree bloom and cause mountain rocks to crack open and spill water.
Monai (Initial Rhyming/Alliteration)
“Vaayeduthu sonnadhellaam paattaagumaa / Summa thee eduthu vechadhellaam vaettaagumaa”
The structural rhythm is enhanced by the rhyming sound patterns in 'Vaayeduthu' and 'paattaagumaa', as well as 'thee eduthu' and 'vaettaagumaa'.
Did you know?
Trivia
Written by the legendary Tamil lyricist Vaali, this song cleverly blends deep Tamil poetic traditions—such as mentioning 'Muthamizh' (the traditional triad of Tamil literature, music, and drama)—with accessible rural folk idioms. Vaali uses everyday village imagery like irrigation canals ('vaaikkaal') and withered trees ('patta maram') to deliver a moral message about art needing to be accessible to the common working-class people ('paattaali').
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