Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Oosi Pattase

From Digambara Samiyar · 1950

Lyricist
Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass
Singers
T. Gajalakshmi, V. T. Rajagopalan
Music director
G. Ramanathan
Details
Digambara Samiyar1950

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Oosi pattasaeO needle firecracker!
Oosi pattasae vaedikkaiyaa thee vachaalaeThe needle cracker goes off playfully if set on fire!
Vedi dabaar dabaarCrackers go bang! bang!
Oosi pattasae vaedikkaiyaa thee vachaalaeThe needle cracker goes off playfully if set on fire!
Male :Vedi dabaar …dabaarMale: Cracker goes bang... bang!
Female
Lady pattasae vaedikkaiyaa thee vachaalaeThe lady cracker goes off playfully if set on fire!
Male :Vedi dabaar …dabaarMale: Cracker goes bang... bang!
Female :Lady pattasae vaedikkaiyaa thee vachaalaeFemale: The lady cracker goes off playfully if set on fire!
Male :Vedi dabaar …dabaarMale: Cracker goes bang... bang!
Female
Beerangi polae seerangi vediyai vachaalaeIf you set off the whistling cracker, it roars like a cannon!
Male :Vedi dabaar …dabaarMale: Cracker goes bang... bang!
Female :Beerangi polae seerangi vediyai vachaalaeFemale: If you set off the whistling cracker, it roars like a cannon!
Male :Vedi dabaar.. dabaarMale: Cracker goes bang.. bang!
Female
Adadaa yaanai vedi idhanaaleOh, with this big elephant cracker,
Suduvaenaa unnai thaathaaShall I shoot you, grandpa?
Adadaa yaanai vedi idhanaaleOh, with this big elephant cracker,
Suduvaenaa unnai thaathaaShall I shoot you, grandpa?
Male
Aamaama nijama suttu podathaeYes, yes, truly don't shoot me!
Komalithanamaa koluthi podathaeDon't foolishly light it and throw it!
Aamaama nijama suttu podathaeYes, yes, truly don't shoot me!
Komalithanamaa koluthi podathaeDon't foolishly light it and throw it!
Female
Seeriyae paambaaiLike a hissing snake,
Seeriyae paambaai maaridumaam thee vachaalaeIt turns into a hissing snake if set on fire!
Male :Vegu thamash …thamashMale: Very funny... funny!
Female
Aeroplane-aai pogumaam melae idhuthaanaeIt flies up high like an airplane, doesn't it?
Male :Besh balae…balaeMale: Bravo, magnificent... magnificent!
Female :Aeroplane-aai pogumaam melae idhuthaanaeFemale: It flies up high like an airplane, doesn't it?
Male :Besh balae…balaeMale: Bravo, magnificent... magnificent!
Female
Pudhusa innum mathaappu vaangaTo buy brand new sparklers,
Tharavenum panam thaathaaYou must give me money, grandpa!
Pudhusa innum mathaappu vaangaTo buy brand new sparklers,
Tharavenum panam thaathaaYou must give me money, grandpa!
Male
Thaarendi kannu naalaikku kaasuI will give you money tomorrow, my dear!
Thaaraalamaagha poovaanam vaanguGenerously buy as many flowerpots as you want!
Thaarendi kannu naalaikku kaasuI will give you money tomorrow, my dear!
Thaaraalamaagha poovaanam vaanguGenerously buy as many flowerpots as you want!
Female
Oosi pattasaeO needle firecracker!
Oosi pattasae vaedikkaiyaa thee vachaalaeThe needle cracker goes off playfully if set on fire!
Male :Vedi dabaar dabaarMale: Cracker goes bang bang!

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This playful and festive song from 'Digambara Samiyar' (1950) portrays a humorous dialogue between a young girl and her grandfather during Deepavali celebrations. The girl enthusiastically describes various types of traditional firecrackers—such as needle crackers, lady crackers, whistling cannons, snake tablets, rockets, and sparklers—playfully threatening to shoot the grandfather with a heavy 'elephant cracker'. The grandfather playfully pleads with her not to be reckless with dangerous crackers and promises to give her money the next day to buy safer, beautiful fireworks like flowerpot fountains ('poovaanam'). The song captures the lively spirit, childish joy, and affectionate family banter typical of South Indian festival traditions.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Onomatopoeia

Vedi dabaar dabaar

The word 'dabaar' imitates the sudden loud sound of exploding firecrackers.

Simile (Upamai)

Beerangi polae seerangi vediyai vachaalae

Compares the high-pitched burst of a whistling cracker ('seerangi') to the booming force of a cannon ('beerangi') using 'polae' (like).

Simile (Upamai)

Seeriyae paambaai maaridumaam thee vachaalae

Compares the burning firecracker tablet expanding into ash to a hissing snake ('paambaai').

Monai (Initial Rhyme / Alliteration)

Thaarendi kannu naalaikku kaasu / Thaaraalamaagha poovaanam vaangu

Repetition of the initial 'Thaa-' sound across lines ('Thaarendi' and 'Thaaraalamaagha').

Did you know?

Trivia

'Digambara Samiyar' (1950) was a hit comedy-thriller film produced by Modern Theatres and directed by T. R. Sundaram, based on Vaduvur K. Duraiswamy Iyengar's famous detective novel. The music composed by G. Ramanathan and written by Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass reflected contemporary South Indian culture by naming real, popular Diwali firecrackers of the era (oosi pattasu, lady pattasu, yaanai vedi, poovaanam) into a rhythmic folk-dialogue style.

Keep listening

More from Digambara Samiyar